Who Needs a Princess, When You Can Have a Queen

Celestia193's Author's Note: Okay, I promised Silver I'd be gentler in this note, but there's still something to address. And here I thought we'd addressed it enough in the last attempt at a crossover. Obviously not. But the fact is that if you guys want perfect Mary Sues for a main cast, this is NOT the crossover for you. We do NOT do infallible Uchihas (to err is to be human), and the fact is that compared to the things they would have been doing in their old world, they're not doing the dangerous life and death missions much anymore. And after a few years of relative peace and safety, anyone is bound to get a little softer in their approach to things. So if you want every fight to end with a vicious instant KO, then just…no. Also, keep in mind that this is Sasuke without the curse mark (so no tanking Naruto), without the formal ninja training, and without a boatload of rage driving him. So at twelve in another world, he's not as ruthless or 'powerful' as he is at thirteen in canon. Remember that.

Silver's Author's Note: I do apologize for the authors' notes barrage. At its heart this is a love story a nature vs nurture story. The Uchihas have undergone a vastly different experience than in canon. Their personalities and strengths are going to reflect that to a degree. There will be fight scenes and we are going to bring in as many of their cannon abilities as possible (and add some new ones), but no they aren't going to solve every problem instantly. I know there are a lot of superfans who enjoy that sort of thing and to each their own, but this story has an arc of development. They are going to get stronger as it goes along, not just start off at full Shippuden era strength.

Chapter 5

In the darkness of his magic, the wizard smirks widely, watching as the three wizards below search for him, while simultaneously ridding the makeshift battleground of his remaining pawns. They were professionally trained fighters, reinforced by his magic. But it seemed that in the end, they were no match for trained wizards. But it was apparent that they were trying to sense him, he could tell as much. But they would have to do much better than that.

As if such paltry measures would be enough to discover him. The mere thought of it was laughable. In trying to locate him, they would fail, as his magic was merging with that of the earth, enveloping the entire area with crushing force. Yes, he would crush these wizards for daring to stand against him. They would not take his life, and they would not take his riches either. "The Light Guilds haven't changed a bit. They're as weak and clueless as ever."

"Weak and clueless, you say? Says the coward who attacks from the shadows." The man turns, seeing only a flash of scarlet before a firm kick is planted in his back, courtesy of an armored boot. "I know who you are, Zieba Ina, and it is time that you be made to face justice."

Itachi's crows begin to go ballistic, homing in on one spot as a writhing figure falls from the trees, the landscape around him warping as the magic that once concealed him is undone. "There!" But why was he falling from the trees?

No. No dark wizard worth his salt would fall so easily. He would NOT fall to some outsider from a Light Guild. He slams his palms together, magic circles appearing all around him as he falls through the air. "You'll pay for that, you fool!" And from the circles, boulders rise from the ground, flying in all directions through the air, taking down a number of trees in the process.

Sasuke was momentarily distracted by the sight of a beautiful red head who appeared similarly out of nowhere adorned in pristine armor with cloth pauldrons of orange, scarlet, and gold about her hips and shoulders. "Damn it!" And he almost got crushed by a boulder because of said distraction.

"Sasuke!" Shisui calls out to his cousin who almost got crushed by a damn boulder of all things. "Are you okay?" He knew that he was still bleeding, but he had survived far worse wounds than his current injuries.

Sasuke nods. "I'm fine!" This was their best chance. The wizard was still falling through the air. If he could get past those boulders, then he'd be good.

"Shisui, open it for us!" Itachi takes hold of the back of Sasuke's shirt, pulling him through most of the mess of flying boulders. He just couldn't get a good lock on the man's eyes, even as his own glowed red. All he needed was an instant. And by the looks of it, the young woman bounding through the trees wasn't even going to need that much.

"Raging Typhoon!" A giant gust of wind whirls around Shisui, shoving the boulders away from his clansmen and the red head that he recognizes to be Erza of Fairy Tail. "Now, Sasuke! Now!

Every ninja or wizard had trademarks in Shisui's mind. He and Itachi had numerous trademarks, but Sasuke currently had three. Fire, lightning, and Taijutsu attacks. There was one in particular that was well suited to deal with a falling opponent, he thinks to himself as he continues launching a flurry of wind in an effort to keep the boulders away from them.

He was soon proven right in his suspicions. "Lion's Barrage!" Crunch! Smack! Bam! Over and over again, Sasuke slammed his fists and feet into the other man's back before jumping out of the way. "Itachi!" Seemingly in his mind at least, having cleared the way for his brother to capture the man via Genjutsu.

Itachi's eyes fall on the man before them, crimson locking with eyes the color of churned mud. But something was wrong. The man's energy was…strange, not as solid as he expected. It had color, yes, but the man's body seemed just as suffused with energy as everything around them. It blended neatly into the background, into the writhing earth around them. Then again,wizards had a habit of exchanging energy with their environment constantly, absorbing magic particles right out of the air itself.

Still, what confirms his budding suspicions isn't the way the man's magic blends into the surrounding environment, but the fact that even casting genjutsu, he refuses to stop moving. "It's a fake!" Of course it as a fake. The boulders were a distraction to allow him time to escape and prepare a new assault. And above them, their enemy was already bearing down on them.

"Photon Slicer!" The sound of trees cracking is accompanied by three bursts of bright, crackling lightning as Itachi looks up, shielding his eyes with some amount of futility from the sight of the errant redhead who had dropped unexpectedly into the middle of their battle. Her attack scatters what looks to be the remnants of a layer of stone armor, once donned by the dark wizard.

Zieba's pained screams are heard throughout the forest as he slams back into a tree, punching a hole straight through it as the redhead appears just behind him. "Those who do evil…" Her swords disappearing, she aims a single mighty punch at the man's head. "Will fall by my hand!"

The man flies clear through the last few boulders to fall, slamming into another tree, this one older, thicker, and forming a crater in it, before the entire trunk gives way, collapsing to the ground as the redhead lands deftly before them.

Sasuke and Shisui both blink at the display. That was some rather...concentrated chakra to say the least. "Do you think that he's still alive?" The younger Uchiha looks at his cousin.

"I'm not...entirely sure." He nods at Erza politely. "Thank you for your assistance. I presume you were after him?" Why this wizard hadn't been listed on the flyer was a complete mystery to him, though he doubted the Queen of Fairies' presence here was a mystery.

Shisui didn't know her well. He'd only seen her a handful of times before. Enough to recognize that she was from an allied guild, her name, and bits and pieces of her fearsome reputation, but not much more.

"Indeed, that is the job I was hired to do." Her body glows, armor disappearing and being replaced with a simple pair of tall black boots, blue skirt, and armored breastplate with her guild emblem emblazoned on it. "Zieba Ina, a dark wizard formerly of the Dark Guild known as Gloria. He is one of the few remnants left of the guild after it collapsed some months ago."

Her eyes fall on the three young wizards, only one of them approximately her own age. "You are Shisui, are you not?" Her gaze flicks over them again. "The three of you are from Blue Pegasus."

"Yes, I'm Shisui." He smiles at her pleasantly. "We've spoken once or twice in passing." He gestures towards Itachi. "You're correct. We're from Blue Pegasus. That's Itachi." Shisui smiles once more and gestures towards Sasuke. "And that's his brother, Sasuke. They're my cousins."

"I see." Her gaze finds Itachi, who she quickly determines to be Natsu's age, though likely far more mature than the dragon slayer, the two of them exchanging a simple nod, before deep brown eyes fall on the youngest of the trio. "You're quite young to be getting into a fight like this. You don't look much older than Wendy." She smiles softly at the boy, Sasuke. "You did very well, you should be proud. I saw most of your fight while I was searching for the wizard."

He'd heard the name Wendy before. She was a Sky Dragon Slayer or something of that nature. "Thanks." He smiles at her, not even bothering to argue about his age. He was far too interested in her Jutsus to care much about that. "How did you do that? With the light attack?" Well that and Sasuke wasn't blind. This had to be Erza. She was from Fairy Tail and wearing armor. From time to time, he heard some of his guildmates talking about other guilds, especially Fairy Tail. Something about a Queen of Fairies who, according to Hibiki and Bob, had a rather impressive wardrobe.

Yeah. She definitely looked like a Queen to him. There wasn't anything fairy-like about her though. This was a warrior, not a cute sprite. "Seems only fair that you take him. You did deliver the finishing blow and he wasn't our target." Probably a reference to her guild, he decides. Fairy Tail. So the Queen of the Fairies. Did that make her their Kage?

"Yes…and the Magic Council will want to see him." Erza's eyes briefly narrow at the unconscious man surrounded by debris, before turning back to the boy before her. "You should be careful about picking what jobs you take on. You're lucky you weren't here alone." She chuckles and ruffles his hair. "As for the attack, it is simply one of the powers given to me by my Morning Star Armor. I find it to be extremely effective in eliminating Dark Wizards."

He does his best not to sulk at that. "I could have managed." Sasuke couldn't wait to be at least Itachi's age. Maybe, then people would stop underestimating him. "I've never seen anything like that in Blue Pegasus. Your Morning Star Armor, I mean."

Erza chuckles at the sight of the sulking child. "Well, that would be because it is a magic unique to me. I call it The Knight. It allows me to requip into powerful wizarding armor. I have a whole collection of it."

Itachi nods at the explanation, having heard stories about her from Shisui. "Yes, I've heard of your kind of requip magic before. I've also heard that it's rather difficult to master."

"It is." But she had many years of practice wielding only this kind of magic. It was her specialty. "But as it is so special, I have poured many long hours of practice into mastering it."

"The Knight and requip magic." Sasuke nods, committing those things into his memory. "Is it a bloodline?" He could copy most forms of magic here, but apparently there were somethings his Sharingan couldn't copy. This world seemed to have its own bloodlines.

"A bloodline?" Erza frowns. "Well, I wouldn't know. Have never met another with the same kind of magic that I have, and my only family are those not related to me by blood."

Oh right. This world didn't seem to understand bloodlines in the way the Leaf had, Sasuke thinks to himself. "A bloodline just means a genetic ability where we come from. Magic passed on in families." Sasuke clarifies. "So it's not a bloodline then. In theory, anyone could do it...if they trained hard enough?" That did raise some interesting possibilities.

Goodness, this boy loved to ask questions. "Well, yes, in theory. However, there are many kinds of magic that are unique to a particular wizard, or the means to learn them no longer exist." Still, it warmed Erza's heart to see the boy so eager to learn. "But if you explore the various realms of magic and find something you're good at, practice it with all your might."

Shisui nods in acknowledgment. "Well it seems to have paid off." He smiles at her. "Forgive my rudeness, but I imagine you want to take him into custody and we have to turn them in as well and...there is the matter of the minor stab wound I have." While it was nowhere life-threatening at present, if it got infected things could become rather unpleasant.

"Of course." Erza nods, casting her eyes to the unconscious wizard. "I will collect that one and be on my way. Feel free to drop by Fairy Tail to see Wendy, she should be more than capable of healing your wounds." They weren't all that far from the guild, after all, and Erza knew that it was no small distance from here to Blue Pegasus.

"Yes, I think I may do that." Shisui didn't feel that his injuries required magical healing, but there was no harm in being cautious. "And you'll have to forgive Sasuke." The elder Uchiha smiles fondly at his cousin. "He's always been rather eager when it comes to learning new forms of magic."

"It's quite alright." Erza pats the boy on the head once more, the spiky locks coming up nearly to her nose. "Perhaps I will see you another time, then?"

Shisui nods again. "Yes, another time." He glances at Sasuke and Itachi. "We should probably get going in the interest of seeing Wendy about my injury more quickly and dealing with these thieves before they wake up." That would be rather annoying.

"Yes, we should." Itachi pats Sasuke on the shoulder. "The two of us will clean up here. You go on and have your injury tended to."

"Alright. Be careful though." He glances at the bandits. "They're not that impressive overall, but if you get enough insects together...a swarm can be rather annoying." With that being said, he quickly sprints off. Erza nods, collecting her bounty and hefting him over her shoulder, before following the Pegasus off.

Sasuke sighs as he helps Itachi with the cleanup. "How long do you think it will be before anyone sees me as anything other than this world's version of an Academy Student?" Even the Fairy Queen saw him that way.

Itachi ponders the question as the Queen of the Fairies disappears from sight with the dark wizard being dragged behind her. "I would guess another year or two. After that, I doubt you'll suffer under it." A small smirk quirks his lips. Was Sasuke hoping that Titania might see him differently?

"A year or two?" Sasuke mentally groans, but refrains from doing so out loud. "Well I guess that's not so bad." Uh oh. The younger Uchiha had seen that smirk and he was now afraid.

Very afraid. He trusted Itachi completely. Unless he started smirking that way. "Nevermind. We should focus on getting them into custody. It's just a bit annoying sometimes having everyone see me as a little kid." That was when Sasuke knew it was time to make a tactical retreat or he was going to get mindfucked.

"Of course." Itachi produces a length of wire to bind the hands and feet of the thieves. Though judging by the way his little brother's eyes rarely left the Fairy Queen, perhaps his general aversion, or perhaps immunity to females was not so…complete. Though she was certainly on the…older side, when compared to his little brother.

The tactical retreat had worked for now. Though Sasuke wasn't entirely sure how long such a tactic would work on Itachi. "There we go." He ties up some of the bandits. Though well maybe the mission would be enough to distract Itachi from meddling.

Itachi's smirk grows a little. His brother looked rather relieved that he'd dropped the topic. Interesting. It seemed as though Sasuke really did have a budding puppy crush. "Though one still has to wonder just what sorts of armors she has available to her. I've heard that she has quite…a variety."

He hated it, but Sasuke could feel a blush forming. "I imagine that she could make an armor made out of a potato sack look flattering. So could most of the girls in this world." It wasn't a full blown blush. More like a light dusting of pink on his cheeks, but he knew that Itachi would see it.

"Anyway, we should get going." It wasn't like he was stupid. She was beautiful, but he was twelve. She had patted his head like she thought he was a cute puppy or something! "We can have them back before nightfall, if we hurry." That didn't mean that he couldn't imagine her beauty or power though, but it wouldn't go anywhere. He was too young. Shisui would probably have better luck than he would or even Itachi.

Shisui flirted with almost every pretty woman that he saw. Which in this place meant he was constantly flirting, but he meant no harm. Everyone was charmed by him. Itachi in was also very popular with the women of the guild...though he was far less flirtatious than their cousin was. And then there was him. The baby of the family. No one took him seriously. Yet.

The elder Uchiha shakes his head as he drags a wagon that they had stashed nearby out of the bushes. After all, he had envisioned that they would need to cart the thieves back to the closest city for the Rune Knights to pick up. "Sasuke, there is nothing wrong with looking at a beautiful woman. It's perfectly normal for a boy your age to have an interest in such things." And judging by the blush, Sasuke definitely liked what he saw. "Just be careful not to fall for the wrong women, no matter how beautiful they might be."

"I don't know why you're telling me that." Sasuke shrugs in what he hoped was a casual manner. "Your advice would be more useful to Shisui." Alright. He might have looked, but he still wasn't stupid. He was at Genin or Chunin Level. That woman was at Kage Level. "What would my cousin's child be to me anyway? He knows the Jutsu right?" And while he was confident in his own abilities, he wasn't delusional. The age gap was just too vast.

"Yes, perhaps it would. I wouldn't want to be an uncle too soon. And I assume he knows to take precautions." Itachi didn't want to disrespect one of the people he respected most in the world, but facts were facts. Shisui fit in quite well with their flirtatious guild mates, but he was not careless. "It serves him well in our line of work."

Sasuke nods. "It does get him a lot of tips." He pauses and adds as an afterthought. "Jenny says I'll get lots of tips too, once Bob lets me be a host."

Itachi pauses as he tosses a couple of the thieves into the cart. "Is that what you want? To be a host?" It certainly paid well, Itachi would never deny that, but there was a certain…disposition needed to do it, and he wasn't sure that Sasuke would enjoy flirting with clients as much as Shisui did. "You could work your way up to harder, longer jobs. You don't have to be a host if you don't want to."

"I'd be with the two of you." The younger Uchiha tilts his head as if it was obvious. "It's not really something that comes naturally to me, but I've seen what you two do. I know how to host and obviously, I'm going to take harder jobs." He raises an eyebrow. "Which hopefully at some point, you won't try to stop me from going on."

"Sasuke…" Itachi shakes his head, poking Sasuke square in the forehead. "I just don't want you to try to take on more than you can handle. Enjoy being a child while you can." His little brother had the chance to do that here, whereas if he had graduated from the Academy, he would have been made to do things that no young child should be made to do. His childhood would have been short and violent, not what Itachi wanted for him. "Goof around, make mistakes, get crushes, play with other children your age. Enjoy your youth."

"I'm not like those people in town though and we both know that." This world was so different than the one he was born into. "I feel like...an imposter around them." He sighs. "And I am enjoying it, for the most part. My youth, I mean and you're only five years older than me!" Sasuke protests. "Don't act as though you're a grandfather."

Chuckling, Itachi ruffles his foolish little brother's hair. "I'm not nearly so old yet. I simply…have seen things that I hope you never will." Images that, on occasion, still haunted his dreams. "I know that you're eager to grow up, but you shouldn't be. Take your time, and learn everything you possibly can. Growth will come in time, and you're already so big, you have no need to rush."

Why did everyone do that?! "Fine, but can you please explain to me why everyone pats my head like I'm a dog? I'm not puppy!" It was becoming a central theme in his life. "So why does everyone mess with my hair?"

Oh, how was Itachi supposed to resist that? His brother was literally asking for it. "Well, that would be because no matter how big you're getting, you're small and cute and adorable. The ladies of the guild in particular love that about you." And it was even more adorable when he pouted. "You may not be a puppy, but you certainly resemble one. Well save for when you're angry. It is then that you more closely resemble a soaked kitten. But don't worry, I'm sure that no woman would hold it against you."

"Chidori!" Sasuke twitches. "I do not look like a kitten or a puppy!" Damn it! He was a ninja! Not some cute furry animal!

Deftly dodging the lightning attack, Itachi continues chuckling at the young ninja…wizard…well, it hardly mattered. Sasuke was a proud member of Blue Pegasus, so why was there a need to put a label on what they were. "Come now, Sasuke, there is nothing wrong with being an adorable child. I'm sure that you will make just as beautiful an adult as mother once you've grown. Just do be careful not to court a woman that would take offense to you outshining her own beauty."

He twitches again. "I'M NOT A WOMAN!" Not that there was anything wrong with being a woman, but still. "And I have the kuani to prove it!" Damn Itachi! That smirk was evil and somehow Sasuke fell into his traps every time.

It was hard to resist the urge to do as Shisui did and make a dirty joke. Impossible, really. So maybe indulging in it just once in a while wouldn't be so bad. "And I'm sure that there is a woman out there who will greatly appreciate your ability to throw a kunai. Though if you have any questions to ask, I would advise that you go to Hibiki or come to me, rather than our cousin." Because though Itachi knew well that Hibiki was a shameless playboy, he could also be a responsible teacher when the time called for it.

"..." Sasuke gapes at Itachi. "I know how to throw a kunai!" He was just not planning on doing so for awhile! "I can't believe you!" Besides, Ren had already explained THAT to him when he was ten.

Itachi's gaze sharpens. "Oh, and just WHO might I ask has educated you on the subject?" His Sharingan whirls dangerously at the thought of someone giving his little brother The Talk. Though in their guild, that could end up being just about anyone.

"I'd rather not say." Sasuke shakes his head. "You'll kill them. Don't worry, I know enough about kunai and pouches and I'm not planning on making you an uncle anytime soon."

"Good." Itachi wasn't nearly old enough to be a father, let alone an uncle. "I will still find out just who decided to educate you without my permission." And probably put them into a genjutsu for a week.

Sasuke just rolls his eyes at his brother's over-protectiveness. "Itachi, I'm not a little child anymore." He shrugs as he tries to soothe Itachi's irritation. "Besides, it's nothing the Academy wouldn't have taught me before graduation, anyway." Though the Academy probably wouldn't have offered such detailed visual aids.

"Well I suppose that's true." Though Itachi could understand why Sasuke would take an interest in such a beautiful, powerful woman. "However, the next time you are in need of a lesson, you can always come to me. I'm sure that it would be less…traumatizing that way."

"Maybe, but it'd also be awkward." It was one thing for Itachi to teach him how to throw kunai. "And you know it. Really, Ren did you a favor by giving me that talk." It was another thing entirely to discuss how to throw the other kind of kunai.

So it was Ren, and not Hibiki, then? "I'm surprised that you tolerated his presence long enough for him to explain things to you." Itachi was under the impression that the two still couldn't stand each other.

"He's a jerk, but he's less...hyper than Hibiki would have been about it." That and Sasuke knew that Ren wouldn't sugarcoat well anything. "It was more practical to listen to him. That way, I know that he doesn't know anything that I don't." Sasuke smiles smugly as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Itachi shakes his head at Sasuke's answer. His brother's apparent appreciation for redheads aside, and Erza Scarlet was certainly quite the woman, it was rather improbable that a woman older than HE was would take an interest in his baby brother. After all, the age gap was just a little too wide. So all of this was a moot point.