To be forthcoming

by Aeso3

Forced to live with a curse that has haunted him all his life, Sasuke Uchiha struggles to find his place in this new world. Even learning to care for the people who've filled the void in his heart isn't enough for him to tell them how he really feels. But if one thing is certain;no matter how far, he will always be there to protect them and to watch them grow.

21. Chapter 21

"I'm amazed you've got so many pretty headdresses on, princess," Lisanna said, gently placing a flower-shaped head ornament on Hisui, while also putting the final touches, "You must be spoilt for choice."

"It's not as fun as the first time you see it, especially after you get used to seeing them all the time" Hisui admitted, "Also, Lisanna, we're friends now, so there's no need to call me princess."

"But princess, are you sure that's okay?" Lisanna protested.

"Hmph, call me Hisui" the green-haired heiress insisted.

"Okay…. Hisui" the young Strauss conceded with a defeated smile.

"Much better" Hisui giggled.

Natsu and Happy watched from a distance, the former sitting cross-legged while the latter floated next to him, both seemingly bored out of their minds by the complete lack of stimulation that they craved. "Ugh, this is just…. boring" Natsu groaned.

"Aye," his blue companion responded with his usual phrase, though without much of the gusto and enthusiasm that was normally present.

"I mean, all this girly stuff is just so weird. I don't get it" the pink-haired dragon slayer whined, tilting his head as he watched the two girls giggle and continue doing, by his own definition, 'girly' stuff.

"Me neither" Happy agreed and sulked alongside Natsu, "Why couldn't we just go look for delicious fishies or fly around."

The duo explored the place for a little longer trying to find some means of entertainment. They looked around the room for something that would interest them, only to find stuffed animal toys and dolls in frilly dresses. Ultimately, a culmination of boredom and frustration began to reach its breaking point for Natsu. "Arrrgh, that's it! I'm going out" the pink-haired boy violently tousled his hair and kicked the door open, which earned him the attention of both Lisanna and Hisui as he left the room.

"Natsu! Wait for me!" Happy yelled out and followed his best friend.

The two girls looked at each other, Hisui giving Lisanna a confused look while Lisanna put on her best apologetic face. "I'm sorry, Hisui, I'd better go and make sure he doesn't do anything crazy" Lisanna hung her head and sighed.

Rather than bother her, the sight of Natsu's wild antics only seemed to amuse the little Princess who gave out a small laugh. "Is he always like this? she asked.

"You don't know the half of it" Lisanna shook her head and surmised.

…..

Silence descended upon the barracks as all parties involved remained quiet once Sasuke had revealed what he had discovered to them. Among those in attendance were Ichiya, Jura, Arcadios, several knights, and the one and only King Toma, who was left pondering and looking deeply disturbed.

"Tartaros you say? And they're experimenting on these 'Berserkers'?" Arcadios tried to recap what had been explained to them by Sasuke.

"It seems your hunch was correct after, sir Uchiha" Jura noted, "If a member of Balam alliance is involved, then nothing good can come of it."

The king broke out of his pondering and looked at Sasuke. "And you're saying these people were after my daughter to gain access to the sacred vault?" he asked.

The words uttered by the king made reminded Sasuke of what he wanted to ask of him. "King of Fiore," he said as he approached the monarch evading his inquiries, "I have some questions that I need you to answer for me; Where is the royal treasury, and what's inside this sacred vault?"

Sasuke's lack of formality towards the king sent nearly everyone into a state of panic as they collectively gasped. There was no sign of fear or hesitation on the boys' face nor even a modicum of respect towards the ruler of the country itself. He spoke to the king as if he was just another person he could interrogate.

"P-please don't mind him, your highness. He's had a quite difficult day " Ichiya stepped up and tried to defuse the situation, in the hypothetical event that things turned sour.

Sasuke ignored the commotion and remained steadfast in his resolve to get to the bottom of the mystery. "I won't ask again" he demanded.

King Toma seemed to be on the same wavelength, though for different reasons as he looked away from Sasuke before he gave his answer. "I'm afraid I can't tell you where the royal treasury is, nor the contents in the sacred vault. That information is classified and privy only to a select few. All I can say is that it is of utmost value to me and to the kingdom of Fiore."

"If you won't tell me, then I can't help you" Sasuke continued pressing. Sadly, he seemed to have met his match when it came to stubbornness as the King simply shook his head and sighed.

"As I've said before, I cannot tell you. There are forces at large who would most likely take advantage of this knowledge" Toma insisted.

"Even if your daughter's life is in danger?" Sasuke suggested, leaving Toma looking dumbfounded as his eyes slowly widened.

Unfortunately, Arcadios and the rest of the knights interpreted Sasuke's questions as vague implications of threat. "That's enough. You cannot simply speak to the king like this" Arcadios scolded, motioning for his knights to encircle Sasuke but without their weapons drawn, sending a stern warning through a show of force. Jura and Ichiya, immediately stuck to Sasuke's side, the former gritting his teeth while the latter sweating bullets, "remember, you're speaking to the supreme ruler of all of Fiore here. If you cannot comprehend that fact, then I suggest you leave."

The already tense atmosphere heightened without a single weapon being drawn or magic being casted. The two groups stared each other down before Sasuke finally conceded. "Fine, do whatever you want" he scoffed off their warning and stormed off the room.

The rest looked on as the door slammed shut. Once he was out of sight, Arcadios signaled for one of his men to follow and keep an eye out for him.

"My apologies, as the senior most in our group, the blame should fall on me for not mediating properly" Jura humbly bowed before the King and tried to reason with them, "I hope this will not ruin our partnership."

"As am I," Ichiya followed suit.

"Hmm, we'll have to see about that" a sour Arcadios stated, still feeling the unpleasant effects of that confrontation. "That boy seems to have very little respect for authority, you need to rein him in" he noted concerning Sasuke.

"What guild is he from?" King Toma asked.

Jura and Ichiya looked at one another before the iron rock mage answered, " He is from Fairy Tail, your highness."

…..

A commotion rose within the royal palace as some of the knights and a few staff members began frantically searching for two individuals at the request of Princess Hisui. The knights and the staff members looked through every nook and cranny to find and retrieve Natsu and Happy, who had disappeared after storming off.

Little did they know, that the two mischief makers were practically hiding in plain sight. Inside one of the empty knight statues, a commotion was occurring as two figures began discussing their next course of action.

"Hehehe, they never saw us Natsu!" Happy smirked and whispered loudly, "Guess they aren't as smart as they thought they were."

"Told you my plan would work," Natsu said, his face beaming with pride at his ingenious accomplishment, "Now, we just gotta find a way to get out of this suit."

"Aye," Happy mumbled.

But that was easier said than done, for getting in was quite simple but escaping this form-fitting armor was another matter entirely. The duo eventually began to panic and frantically sway the armor back and forth in the hopes of escaping this artificial prison. This culminated in the two of them crashing the armor to the floor, shattering it into its many different parts as Happy escaped through the helmet while Natsu freed himself through the torso.

Their commotion also began drawing attention as people began to take notice of the loud bang that they had just heard and started marching toward the center of that noise. "Uh oh, we'd better get out of here Natsu!" Happy pointed out.

"I know, I know!" Natsu reluctantly groaned and led the charge with an annoyed expression.

By the time the staff arrived at the scene, all that remained were the shattered pieces of armor that were once standing. "Jeez, how much trouble could these brats be" one of them sighed.

"Doesn't matter, let's keep looking" another suggested.

Unbeknownst to them, their target was right above them, floating at the top of the ceiling as Natsu was being carried by Happy. "Whew, that was close Natsu" the blue cat sighed, "So what now, partner?"

"We need to find a way out of here. All sneaky sneaky" the pink-haired boy answered, using his scarf to cover the lower part of his face, "like a ninja!"

"If you wanna sneak around like a ninja, then you'd better start by watching your back"

A voice called out from behind, startling the both of them as they yelled out with an audible "Whaaah!". The idea that someone could sneak up from behind them, let alone near the ceiling was not something they could fathom. The surprise itself caused Happy to loosen his grip on Natsu, causing the boy to nearly fall had it not been for that same figure behind that voice catching him by his leg. Once they had a good look at who it was, their jaws collectively dropped.

"Sasuke!" they both said in unison. The raven-haired boy, quietly started at them while hanging upside down from the ceiling with his feet somehow sticking to the top.

"Causing trouble again?" the Uchiha asked, still holding onto Natsu.

"Well, it was getting kinda boring out there" Natsu nonchalantly pointed out, the shock of Sasuke having quickly disappeared, "Lisanna and the Princess were busy with their 'girly' stuff."

"Yeah, that's why we thought it'd be more fun to go out and do something else" Happy added.

Sasuke would be lying if he said he didn't find Natsu's attempt at being a "ninja" amusing. As far as stealth went, it was pretty so-and-so. Whether it was meant to be a compliment or a mockery remained to be seen, especially since it could somehow fool the knights and the staff.

"Hey, you're not going to send us back there, are you?" Natsu inquired, still hanging upside down.

The Uchiha looked at their pleading faces and sighed. They were quite the handful for sure. "Let's go" he rolled his eye and ambiguously stated. To where? He would not answer.

….

Natsu could hear the chattering of the guards as they patrolled the area while he hid in the bushes. Just as quickly as they passed, a shadowy figure beckoned him to move towards the wall.

As the figure jumped up the wall, it extended its hand downwards to reach out to him. Without hesitation, Natsu quickly zoomed towards the wall and sprung himself to catch the hand. As the figure pulled him upwards, the light that shone nearby slowly revealed the person to be none other than Sasuke.

Once they were both on the other side, the two let their guards down as they successfully escaped from the palace.

"Aww yeah, now that's what I call sneaking like a ninja!" Natsu boasted, making all sorts of strange hand gestures, mimicking the hand signs of a shinobi "They never saw us coming."

"Aye!" Happy, as usual, joined in. Though he had a much easier time of it thanks to his wings.

"Yeah, but you can fly, so that makes it easy for you" Natsu pointed out, "meanwhile, Sasuke and I were all sneaky, sneaky!"

Unbeknownst to him, the actual shinobi who was standing in front of him rolled his eye once more with an exasperated sigh while Natsu continued his usual routine of showboating, all the while being blissfully unaware that this escape plan was orchestrated by Sasuke to teach him proper stealth.

Once they were out of the palace, the trio strolled through the streets of Crocus, whose streets were now brightly lit under the cover of the night sky. It felt like a celebration was going on, but it seems it was simply business as usual for a city this big. Even the commotion earlier in the day did little to deter the city dwellers from carrying on with their daily lives. Natsu and Happy excitedly browsed through the streets while Sasuke walked behind, with his hands in his pocket, keeping watch over them.

"Hey Natsu, do you think Lisanna and the princess will be alright back there?" Happy wondered out loud, realizing who they had just left behind.

"Nah, they'll be fine…. I think" Natsu tried to dissuade the worries of his best friend, but even he was beginning to be filled with doubt.

"Maybe, but if something bad were to happen to Lisanna, Mirajane's gonna be really mad" Happy pointed out.

It was at that point, that Natsu's carefree expression shattered, and in its place was a look of abject horror, as images of a monstrous Mirajane brandishing a kitchen knife with the evilest of eyes imaginable crept up into his mind. "Oh crap! If Mirajane finds out I ditched Lisanna, she's gonna kill me!" A panicked Natsu cried out as he dashed back to the palace, "We gotta get back, now!"

Sasuke, admittedly, had also forgotten about the fact that Lisanna was still in the palace, so he couldn't sole place the blame on them alone. While he trusted Jura enough and didn't think Lisanna was worth being a target, she was with the princess the last time he remembered, and being with her meant her life was also at risk.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Sasuke's attention was recalled back to reality as he saw Natsu and Happy waiting for him.

"Yeah, you don't want to piss off Mirajane do you?" the blue cat warned.

At that point, Sasuke began to reconsider leaving these two hopeless idiots to their fate even if it meant going back to the palace. "What would you do without me" he sighed and followed behind them once again.

….

It didn't take long for Sasuke to lead them back into the palace unscathed, and by the time they returned to Lisanna and Hisui, there was a relieved smile coming from the former's face. Though that smile quickly turned into a frown as the youngest of the Strauss siblings began giving Natsu and Happy quite the earful for wandering off on their own and causing quite a ruckus. That left Hisui and Sasuke standing on the sidelines.

The princess seemed initially confused before slightly shifting towards Lisanna's back. All the eagerness she had to thank him for saving her life dropped the moment his gaze met hers. There was a certain cold aura that radiated from the boy, as if he didn't want to talk to anybody or like anyone for that matter. It's like his face was constantly scowling.

It was at that point at Lisanna noticed Hisui hiding behind her. She gave the princess an apologetic smile and turned to the side to introduce Sasuke, "I almost forgot. You've been waiting to talk to him all day right? Hisui, this is Sasuke."

"Hello…? Umm, thanks for…saving me?" Hisui expressed her gratitude, fidgeting her arms to calm her nerves.

Sasuke wordlessly nodded before accepting her gratitude, "It's fine. No need to thank me."

Even a kind gesture from him felt intense like there was an invisible wall around him. Hisui immediately pulled Lisanna to the side and whispered her thoughts, "I never thought about it until now but he looks so scary. How do you deal with this Lisanna?"

Natsu and Happy blinked as they wordlessly looked on, unable to ascertain what they were talking about, while Sasuke rested along the wall.

Lisanna was simultaneously surprised yet expected this outcome given that it was Sasuke she was talking about. The princess's reactions genuinely earned a chuckle from her, seeing as this wasn't the first time Sasuke intimidated others despite his stature. "I know he looks scary and all, but Sasuke's actually a really nice guy. He's just too serious all the time. I promise you'll like him the more you get to know him" Lisanna reassured the princess.

Taking Lisanna's words to heart, Hisui sighed and conceded. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," she said, letting go of Lisanna as she slowly approached Sasuke, despite her nerves.

"So..Sasuke, right? Umm…. what do you usually do?" she tried to strike up a conversation.

Sasuke blinked as he really didn't expect the princess to approach him and make small talk. Still, he decided to give an answer. "Right now? Keeping an eye on those three" he pointed towards Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna.

The trio gawked at his response. Natsu and Happy shouted "Us?" in unison, conveniently forgetting the trouble they tended to get themselves into, while Lisanna breathlessly exhaled and shook her head, at his bluntness.

"Who else, brain-dead idiots?" he replied.

But for Hisui, it was somehow helped to slightly ease the tension between herself and the one-eyed boy as she giggled at his no-nonsense reply. The more she pondered on it, the more she felt his seriousness was endearing in its own way and it seemed to have helped in breaking the ice a bit more.

"Is something the matter?" Sasuke asked when he saw the princess.

"It's nothing" Hisui brushed off his concern before looking at him once more, "So Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna told me you're really strong and that you get to go on a lot of cool quests. Could you tell me about some of them?"

The Uchiha was taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm. He raised his brow as his mouth slightly opened, yet without a word coming out of them. "My quests? I'm... not sure" he stammered with his words as he looked towards the three other kids, two of whom were gleaming with anticipation as if expecting him to answer while the third, Lisanna simply smile and nodded.

"Perhaps, I could be of help with this. I do know of a few tales that might interest these children" Hagoromo interjected. "Merely repeat my tale to them on my behalf"

To his own surprise, he sighed and began listening intently to Hagoromos' tale before looking at the kids, "I can't really talk about my quests but there are a couple of stories I learned from someone although I'm not sure they're going to be that interesting either."

"Then tell me!" she requested.

"Alright, here goes"

The children looked on with gleaming eyes as Sasuke recounted some of Hagoromos' tales. They were short enough that he could easily rephrase them word for word while giving his own interpretation and narrating them in his own style of vocabulary.

….

Ultear stood across from the gate that led to the palace, her lips curved into a smile as she witnessed Sasuke walking into that place with another kid and a flying creature. "To think that you would have an audience with the king himself…you are full of surprises Ajax" she praised him, with a hint of condescension, "or is it, Sasuke?"

"Regardless, you are the key to gaining something that I need" she sighed, peering into one of her orbs as it traced Sasuke and the rest of the mages. Every nook and cranny, every patrol route, every secret was being recorded as Ultear smirked, "I hope you'll continue to remain useful."

---

Two days had passed since that particular incident, and nothing noteworthy had happened as of late. The group continued on with their investigation, chasing every lead and asking every suspect they could find, yet they still found nothing of substance. It would seem that their enemies had gone into hiding after making quite a ruckus during the opening day. Even the sewers that Sasuke had chased the dark guild member into turned up empty. Throughout it all, something was bothering Jura; it wasn't the fruitless search or the lack of any evidence, in fact, it was Sasuke.

During their whole investigation, the ace of Lamia Scale noted that the one-eyed boy was strangely passive, simply going through the motions. This was in stark contrast to their first meeting or even their first day here when he constantly took the lead. The others were oblivious to it, but he knew better; it was almost like Sasuke knew something that the rest of them didn't and was hiding it from them. But at the end of the day, he was still their ally, their teammate, so unless there was direct evidence suggesting that he was working for the enemy, Jura would give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he had his reasons for the secrecy.

On the third day, his suspicions were proven true as Sasuke failed to show up for the usual group meeting. In his room was a note left behind, stating his intentions to investigate things on his own before regrouping later. Even if he did explain why he did it, it didn't justify keeping things from them or going off on his own, since this was a group effort. Did he simply not trust them?

No one could come up with an answer, as they quietly sat in Jura's room.

"Where could he have gone to?" Lisanna worriedly asked, greatly concerned for Sasuke's safety since he was known for coming back to the guild busted many a time.

"Who knows?" Natsu shrugged, his attitude was more unconcerned than Lisanna or the others. Deep down he did care a bit about what was happening but he refused to show it, still sour about his attitude and his own personal rivalry with him and Erza. "I bet he's going off on his own so he can get all the credit once this is done. Jerk" he angrily hissed.

"Natsu!" Lisanna chided him for his insensitivity.

"What? I'm just saying" Natsu argued back, pouting and crossing his arms, "And besides, he's always acted like he was too cool to be around anyone else."

"Regardless of the matter, the question of where he went off to still remains" Jura firmly stated, attempting to bring everyone on the same page and put their focus on something more productive, "If he's investigating these dark guild hideouts, then it is likely somewhere obscure."

Everyone looked like they had something to say, but without any substantial ideas, they all collectively hung their heads and refrained from speaking.

"If only he had accepted my parfum, I would've been able to keep track of him, meeeeen" Ichiya lamented and sighed.

"Perfume...track...smell" Natsu murmured before his face suddenly lit up like a street lamp. "Of course, scent!" He snapped his finger and became giddy at the revelation he just had.

The others tilted their head and looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean scent, young Natsu?" Jura asked.

It was at that point that Happy also realized what he meant before Lisanna joined in as well. "I get it! You wanna find Sasuke using his scent, right?" Happy inquired.

"That's right, partner!" Natsu excitedly answered.

"Wait, wait, wait, you can pick up on his scent?" Ichiya questioned with a look of disbelief.

"Natsu is a dragon slayer, so he's got the nose of one. Once he remembers someone's scent, he can pick it from a mile away" Lisanna explained.

Jura rubbed his chin and hummed, before rising to his feet. This was an opportunity that they could not afford to waste, especially now that they would not be locked out of the loop anymore. "Well then, let's not waste any more time" he declared as the rest stood up and looked towards Natsu, ready to follow him, "Lead the way."

---

Rumbling noises echoed throughout the hidden domain as crowds of people panicked. Many of them frantically grabbed their weapons and headed out to meet the intruders, who were carving a path of destruction through them. This lair was supposed to be well hidden, to the point that not even the royal army with its vast intelligence network could know where it was. Yet somehow, two people managed to break through their hidden spell and enter.

"To your stations' men! We have intruders on the base!"

Worse still, it seemed that they were very capable in combat, the girl taking advantage of the tight corners to use her orbs like ping-pong balls, while the boy was running through them like wet tissue paper with just fist feet and fists. "How the hell are they beating us!? They're just kids" one of the remarked, baffled by what was going on.

The cultist got his answer in the form of a swift kick to the face, sending him flying through the wall. As his consciousness began fading, he desperately looked around his fallen comrades and reached out for the two invaders, who ignored him and continued marching forward. "Damnit!" he cursed before falling asleep.

"I could hardly call that a challenge" Lynette whined with a smirk on her face, obviously pleased by the devastation she had left behind.

The same could not be said of her partner, who simply hummed a response before silently looking at her.

"You know, you could do more than just stare at me with that scary look" she pointed out though that did little to give Sasuke pause.

"Let's keep moving" he ordered as he walked past her.

"So serious" the girl chuckled before following him. Little did the Uchiha know that his benefactor had other plans for him in mind.

The duo opened every door they could find, each one presenting them with images more disturbing than the ones that came before, containing the lifeless remains of those that succumbed to the instruments of torture. "They're probably prisoners they've caught from rival guilds" Lynette spoke up, addressing the situation at hand, though whether it eased Sasuke or not was left hanging in the air as the Uchiha expressed neither guilt nor relief, just silently moving on.

Eventually, the two of them ran out of rooms to investigate, none of them turning up any conclusive evidence. Only one room remained and it rested behind a large, steel door. Sasuke guessed that this one must probably have something of great importance if it was better secured than the others. He conjured up the hand's signs and channeled electricity through his left hand as he readied to strike down the door, only for Lynette to place her hand in front of him, obscuring his path as if to show him a better alternative.

"Arc of time" she spoke as she raised her hand forward. Suddenly the door started creaking violently as rust began forming all around it. Slowly but surely, it began to bend out of shape until it was split open as if it was crushed.

After demonstrating her magic, Lynette looked at Sasuke with a smirk as she held out her hand and pointed it towards the door, motioning him to go first. Sasuke warily looked at her as he hesitantly stepped through the broken door, and what he saw in the next room appalled him: corpses of various humanoid beasts littered the room, ranging from bears, and goats to bulls and other such creatures, no different from the Berserkers that he had met before. Some were strung up on wiry tubes, while others slept motionless on watery pods and those were the lucky ones as others still lay motionless with wide eyes on what resembled operating tables. It felt like he had walked into a torture chamber.

"This is-" before he could finish his sentence, the door behind hummed loudly as the bent metal began reforming back into its original shape. On the other side, Lynette wordlessly looked on as she began sealing the door, possibly trying to trap Sasuke.

"Sorry, but this is where our paths diverge," Lynette said, her self-approving demeanor having vanished in place of a cold, unfeeling gaze. "You're getting way too close to our true purpose here and we can't have you get involved any further."

Sasuke didn't seem surprised in the slightest. "So, this is the point where you chose to stab me in the back?"

"No, betrayal would indicate that I willingly cooperated with you for a mutual gain. I never intended to work with you or help you" Lynette bluntly confessed, "You were a tool to be used, nothing more."

The Uchiha tried to get to her before that could happen but unfortunately, the door had been sealed shut by then despite being mere inches away from her. As the final gap shut, Sasuke took one last look into her eyes before slamming the door with his fists and gritting his teeth "I'm coming for you. Be certain of that". His suspicions of her had been entirely validated, he knew better than to trust her but he needed an insider to gain access to the dark guilds' hideouts. Now, however, his stance on her had changed from wary to outright hostility. Though it remained to be seen what her true motives and plans were.

...

"Well, well, well" a voice beckoned him from the other end of the room, and he turned around to see a figure emerge from the shadows. The figure that stood before him was a creature the likes of which he had not seen before, its strangeness only matched by the likes of Orochimaru or Itachi's partner Kisame. And just like those two, he hesitated to call the person in front of him human. Her face was concealed by an intricate helmet that covered most of her face with strange feathers sticking out, her arms were way too large in proportion to the rest of her body with claws as long as her head and her feet resembled that of birds rather than a human.

"So, the resident rodent has decided to step out of the shadows" another figure emerged, standing beside her, though much shorter in stature. The figure was probably male from the voice which was all Sasuke could speculate on since his entire face was also covered, the top half with a human skull with antlers protruding out of the front while the bottom half was concealed by a black cloth. The rest of his head was covered by long black coif, and black half-sleeve rags while the rest of his body was covered in tattoos.

Sasuke warily looked on as the two figures wordlessly stared back from their little platform. Without a word, he could feel their malicious intent and he responded in kind by taking out his blade, readying himself for a fight.

"Hmph, it seems our guest has forgotten the most basic principles of hospitality" the female growled, "First you barge into our dwelling, attack our underlings and now you brandish your weapon on the host. Typical for a disgusting human I suppose."

Sasuke bit his lip as he watched his enemies move carefully. They certainly carried themselves with an air of confidence. But it was at that moment, that the other one did something that shocked him to his core. The woman's companion stepped forward, revealing a distinct circular pattern on his left eye.

"Sasuke, that other one, look!"

Hagoromo cried out, but Sasuke didn't even need his cue to witness it firsthand. "N-no way. This... this is" he struggled to find the correct words before stepping forward, "How did you get that eye! Who are you?"

"This? I was born with it. A gift from my creator, Lord Zeref" the man said, pointing his finger toward it.

"You mean you stole it" Sasuke corrected, pointing toward the man, "That Rinnegan belongs to me."

"Rinnegan? Is that what you call it?" The man pondered, seemingly confused by what Sasuke had mentioned, "Such baseless accusations from one as ignorant as you. This eye is the creation of Zeref and only his: the eye of the Fomorian."

"It would seem that this one has no idea what the Rinnegan really is. But if he can wield it without being burdened by the power, then he must be unique. Sasuke…."

"I know what you're going to say" the boy quietly murmured as he activated his Sharingan. Just as they both suspected, the man on the right had a distinct flow to his essence that was much different from magic, yet at the same time, it didn't feel like chakra either, almost as if it had been tainted by something else. Worse still, the woman to his left also possessed the same aura as he did. "What are they?" Hagoromo pondered, just as shocked as Sasuke was.

But just the two were surprised by this turn of events, the two figures in front of them expressed just as much astonishment as they did, especially after Sasuke activated his Sharingan. "Wait, you possess those eyes as well? How could a human possibly wield it?" the woman questioned.

As if things couldn't get any stranger, the one with the Rinnegan had his right eye turn crimson, as he revealed himself to have a Sharingan of his own. "Unrefined curse power? Could it be…..?" he contemplated deeply before composing himself, "I see, so it seems you're one of us as well."

"Wait! Are you insinuating that this little whelp here is a demon as well?" the female hissed, seemingly disgusted by the notion.

"He possesses both the crimson eye and his entire body is comprised of unrefined curse power. He is kin, I have no doubt" the short man insisted.

"So, he's nothing more than fledgling" the female considered, as a smile crept up from her lips.

The conversation the two were having only served to confuse Sasuke even more. "What exactly are you two? What's this curse power you keep talking about? And what makes me one of you?" Sasuke clamored for an answer, as what were supposed to be facts were starting to become even hazier. First, some gods somehow knew who he was and where he came from, and now two mysterious figures who are aware of his abilities yet use different terminologies.

Once her partner had explained that Sasuke was one of them, the woman's expression had changed from disgust to playful mischief. "Oh, little one, it seems you are still unaware of who you really are and your true purpose" she laughed condescendingly.

"Just answer me!" Sasuke demanded.

The woman stopped laughing as her eyes narrowed on Sasuke. "If you insist. The truth is" she began, holding the revelation out for a few more seconds before answering again, "We're demons from the Books of Zeref."

"I am Malakai" the one on the left introduced himself.

"And I am Kyôka, one of the nine demon gates of Tartaros" she proclaimed, pride in her voice.

Her answer did nothing to dissuade Sasuke's worries in the slightest. Memories came rushing in of the destruction Deliora, a demon supposedly created by Zeref, left behind, of the warning Lynette gave him about how none of the members of Tartaros were remotely human. Now one of them possessed both a Rinnegan and Sharingan, and somehow, once again, it was tied down to Zeref, the one constant entity throughout all of this debacle.

"And you, young one, are a demon" Kyôka explained as if she was revealing some truth to him.

It should be obvious to Sasuke that she was lying or unaware of the actual truth, and yet, her words were getting to him. Maybe he wasn't a demon, but was he fully human? At least, in the body, he was inhabiting. But this was no time to falter, "You don't know the first thing about me" he dismissed her claims.

"Oh? But I think I'd like to" she brushed off his dismissal, a predatory grin on her face as she stared down at him, "In fact, I think you'd make for a fine pet for Seilah."

"Wait, Lady Kyôka, what are you saying?" Malakai asked, seemingly appalled by her intentions.

" We've longed for a child of our own and this fledgling will do just fine" Kyôka admitted.

Unwilling to waste another second listening to their disgusting proposition, Sasuke threw a few kunai to grab their attention and gauge their skills. He was especially concerned with one called Malakai, who somehow wielded the Rinnegan as well as a Sharingan of his own and claimed he was somehow born with both of them. Could it be that this Zeref had learned the secrets and managed to weaponize them? And how he did learn about all of this?

Just as he expected, Malakai easily swatted them, the enhanced perception the Sharingan granted was obvious. "Oh my, quite a feisty pup you are," Kyôka remarked, annoyed by his attempt before chastising him, "It seems you'll need to be disciplined and properly trained."

In an instant, Sasuke could feel something change within his body. His hands twitched as he was frozen in place from the sensation he was feeling, it was as if all of his senses had been cranked up to eleven. Just as he was trying to come to terms with what has happening, he was blindsided by a shoulder tackle from a colossus of a man with ram horns and tusks of a boar. The Uchiha managed to block the attack and jumped back, but the moment he touched the ground, he immediately reeled in intense agony as he desperately clutched his arm and gritted his teeth. It was like a thousand knives all stabbing his arm at the same time.

"Painful, isn't it? A little sample of my curse power" Kyôka taunted, gleefully smiling at his look of anguish, "I've amplified your sensitivity by a hundred-fold. Even the smallest scratch will feel like your arm is being cut off."

Even if he was in excruciating pain, Sasuke refused to cow-tow to her and tried his best to fight on. Throwing a smoke bomb toward the beast, the Uchiha used the low visibility to take his opponent with a surprise attack from above, only for it to be intercepted by the beast grabbing him mid-air by the throat and slamming him to the ground. The impact caused him to bounce off the ground as a scream escaped from his mouth.

The beast continued to toy with him, tossing him all over the place and crushing him with his enormous fists, each blow to Sasuke feeling like being crushed by a boulder or a sledgehammer being pounded onto his skull. With each agonizing scream that escape Sasuke's mouth, Kyôka looked on with a sadistic grin, taking great pleasure in her disciplinary act.

By the time the assault was over, Sasuke lay on the ground, his shirt ripped out while welts had begun forming on his back as he exhaled in rapid succession. Even after all this, he was still able to muster the strength to drag himself from the dirt. "Impressive, isn't it?" Kyôka pointed towards the monster, "Man and beast in perfect harmony. Human lives are short and fickle; a meaningless existence wasted on fruitless dreams and goals. And to think that these 'berserkers' would have wasted their talents on pointless fighting. Now, their gifts can be used for a singular purpose and these pathetic humans that serve us can give their lives for something that has actual meaning; service towards the return of Lord Zeref."

"What ….do…you want…with the princess" Sasuke demanded even as he lay on the ground, beaten and bloodied.

"Even after all this, you still think you can make demands of us?" the demoness chuckled, "Bold. Stupid but bold. Very well, if you want the truth; it's nothing. We have no interest in human affairs. We were simply requested by a few mutual associates to use this place as a testing ground for our experiment. They are the ones who seek the princess"

Sasuke didn't have to ask to know what experiment they were talking about, given the bodies of fallen berserkers that were everywhere. But if they were simply hired muscles for this endeavor, then who was the third party who made the call? "Who are they?" he demanded once again.

At this point, Kyoko's patience had grown thin and she was no longer in the mood to toy with him anymore. "You don't get to make demands of me, little one. It seems you're still due for some more punishment" she stated, snapping her fingers as an order to her larger underling, "finish him."

The giant man-beast looked up at Kyôka with a growl and then proceeded to pick up Sasuke with both hands, holding the head and leg respectively as he lifted the boy up in the air, intending to inflict further pain.

"Sasuke, you must persevere, you cannot lose"

The voice of the Sage of Six Paths encouraged Sasuke to push through the pain lest he ends up in a fate worse than death. "Shut up, I know that" Sasuke groaned, grabbing a kunai from his back pocket and using his free hand to stab the monster in the eye. The beast roared in pain as he dropped the boy to the ground.

Despite the pain he was in, Sasuke willed his way up to a kneeling position as he waited for the monster to turn around before slicing his left knee with his sword, dropping the beast to his level. Once they were on even ground, the Uchiha turned the tides as he stabbed the monster on the shoulder, leaving the sword stuck in place, and kicked the beast in the face, knocking it further down to the ground while also breaking one of his tusks in the process.

As the tide began shifting, Sasuke grabbed onto whatever object he could to maintain balance before flipping over to his opponent and slamming his feet down on his face, knocking him out cold. Against, all odds, Sasuke was victorious.

But he could not celebrate his victory, nor revel in its wake as Kyôka curse power had begun to take its toll on his body as it collapsed to the ground.

"Hmph, Malakai, go and fetch him for me, it seems he has reached his limit" the demon of Tartaros ordered her underling, who nodded and began advancing on Sasuke, who could no longer keep his eye open. As his vision slowly began to fade, the last image he saw was that of the two being taken completely by surprise by some unknown entity as a silhouette of Jura approached them. And after that, he eye gave away and there was nothing but complete darkness.

---

When Sasuke opened his eye, he was transported back to a familiar environment; lying in a dark, damp world with barely any source of light except for his own and that of two familiar faces. Hagoromo floated next to him, while his other half remained in his cell, although from the looks of it, the foundations had been greatly weakened, most likely as a result of him unlocking the second Tomoe Sharingan.

"What happened?" He asked, raising his head and resting his hand on his left knee which he raised as well.

"You succumbed to that demon's curse and fell into a deep slumber. I brought you here until you can come back to your senses in the real world" Hagoromo explained.

"That was pathetic" his other half chided him, pacing back and forth in his cell with his arms folded, "Getting beaten by some lowly demon, really?"

"Why don't you try getting cursed then?" Sasuke shot back, to which his doppelganger could only grumble in response.

"Regardless of the outcome, we have a serious matter to discuss" Hagoromo intervened, before the argument escalated. "The presence of another Sharingan and Rinnegan disturbs me greatly."

On that note, Sasuke couldn't agree more. There was too much to take in for one day, even when taking into account his expectations. "The one called Malakai. His essence, did you feel it as well?"

"Yes. There were traces of chakra in him but also something else entirely. If I recall, those who wield magic also possessed that essence" Hagoromo pondered, trimming his beard, "Could it be that this is something of a union between magic and chakra?"

"I thought that was impossible?" Sasuke argued, given that he also tried learning some spells to no avail. chakra and magic were like oil and water; they simply didn't mix well. "You think someone might have found a way?" he suggested, "Didn't you say that the Rinnegan originated from Kaguya and you inherited the Sharingan from her? And that she came from a world beyond our own?"

"Yes, it is true that my mother came from the stars above and she would tell relate to us stories regarding them. That another of her kind could possibly have arrived here and….no it can't be" Hagoromo pondered on for a while longer, thinking deeply of Sasuke's suggestions, "I don't think it's likely."

"Why not? Are you saying that there's more of her, I mean like her"

"Yes. I suspect that my mother was unfortunately not the first of her kind and certainly not the last. But even so, I have not felt the presence of another yet. First, the land here is fertile and I do not see any signs of a God tree. Secondly, even if another being like mother did exist, it is unlikely they could have lived long enough" the Sage hypothesized, "Finally, should the tree truly have existed, I would have sensed its presence far and wide."

"But aren't you immortal?" Sasuke pointed out.

"Certainly not" Hagoromo shook his head, "I may be able to linger on as a spirit, but I 'am very much dead; my essence is composed of chakra and nothing more. My mother only found eternal life after consuming fruit from the divine tree, or so I have been told."

Sasuke was both surprised and relieved at the possibility that another Kaguya or Madara would not be involved in this shenanigan, given how the existence of both of them had tainted his world to an absurd degree. But he wasn't fully convinced either because if a so-called other Ōtsutsuki was likely not involved, then who would? "So, you're saying that even if an Ōtsutsuki did come here and introduce this world to the Rinnegan and Sharingan, they're most likely dead?"

"Yes, let us recall what that 'Malakai' referred to the Rinnegan" the sage led on.

Sasuke tried to remember the events leading up to his current state and in an instant, remembered what that demon had said, "he called it 'the eye of the Fomorian', so it's obvious he doesn't really know what it is. But the fact that he has traces of chakra does explain how he was able to use it without falling apart, hmmm, he also said something about 'curse power' and how mine was unrefined. If I had to make a hypothesis, it's probably likely that my chakra is simply what he thinks is this 'unrefined curse power', and what he has is a mix between magic and chakra."

"Very astute, my dear Sasuke" Hagoromo beamed with pride, a smile on his face upon witnessing Sasuke's insightful nature, "and through it all, there has been a phantom. A name we keep hearing and whose handiwork we continue to observe throughout our journey."

"Hmph" Sasuke snarled, knowing exactly whom Hagoromo was referring to. "Zeref."

"The demons claimed that the Rinnegan and Sharingan were gifts from their creator, Zeref. And they assumed you were one of their own because of your left eye. Based on those claims alone, we can certainly assume that there are several more wielders of the Rinnegan and Sharingan, perhaps all of them are demons as well."

The very thought of that notion alarmed Sasuke more than he would like to admit. "Do you think Zeref has unlocked the secrets of these eyes" Sasuke paused before speaking again, "or do you think Zeref himself is the Ōtsutsuki who found a way to replicate them?"

"Both scenarios are likely" Hagoromo agreed and nodded along, "and both do not bode well for us if Zeref has found a way to mass produce this visual prowess."

"Now this sounds interesting" the other Sasuke snickered from his cell, intrigued by the thought of someone creating an army of Rinnegan and Sharingan-wielding demons, "Maybe we can find a replacement for our left eye then. We can start with that Malakai"

"We don't even know what he's capable of or how strong he is. And even if we do know, how would we find him?" Sasuke brushed his suggestion aside.

"You can argue all you want" his doppelganger scoffed, "But sooner or later when you wake up, you're gonna have to deal with them again, if not, some other day."

"That much is true" Hagoromo surprisingly agreed.

With his two voices in unison, even Sasuke had to accept that fact. The situation was simply growing more and more complicated by the minute and no one could give him any concrete answers…. At least not yet. Right now, he could only hope that when he came back to his senses, he would be in a safer place.

---

Jura couldn't help but frown at the current situation they were in at the moment even if he tried his best to put on a façade of tranquility. Lying on the bed was an unconscious Sasuke, resting peacefully with bandages all over his stomach and chest. The others kept watch over him with worry, but given his experience, he knew that Sasuke would make it.

What bothered him the most was what he had discovered in that lair. Once Natsu had figured out the location and led them there, he insisted on going there by himself, as he entrusted Ichiya to keep them safe at the entrance while he took a look inside, knowing full well that the kids weren't ready for what lay ahead. And his worries turned out to be correct, as the place was like a butcher shop with corpses of various creatures that were up everywhere. Once he discovered Sasuke, who was lying motionless, he was in for the fight of his life against the two people calling themselves demons from the Books of Zeref, from whom he barely managed to escape with his life alongside Sasuke.

He couldn't condone Sasuke going out there by himself, but at the same time, he could at least speculate as to why he did what he did; he didn't want Natsu and Lisanna to witness the horrible things that were inside. Childhood innocence is far too easily shattered and it is that betrayal that leads to a world full of broken cynics. Perhaps in due time they too will witness the harsh realities of the world, but for now, they were children and deserved to live like ones. As for Sasuke, despite being a child himself, his attitude suggested and the missing eye suggested that he must have gone through quite the ordeal to become this way and why he went out of his way to shelter Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna.

Or maybe, Sasuke was secretly working with them, it would explain why he was always going off on his own, conveniently whenever they attacked and maybe they decided to discard him for one reason or another; perhaps he outlived his usefulness. Neither theory held true, but he'd like to believe the best in him, and he couldn't fathom how the children would react if he told them that Sasuke might be secretly working with the enemy.

"Hey look, he's waking up!" Happy excitedly pointed out as the rest looked on with bated breath while Sasuke slowly opened his eye.

"Wait, let me see," Ichiya said as he stepped right next to Sasuke's face as the boy got his bearings, placing his hand in front of his face, "Sasuke! How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three. Now get it off of my face" Sasuke groaned and pushed Ichiya's face aside, which was uncomfortably too close to him. He tried to rise from his bed, only to grit his teeth and clutch his chest in pain as he looked around and realized that he was bandaged up.

Lisanna stepped in and gently moved over to him. "You need to rest, Sasuke. You're still hurt" she scolded him and slowly leaned him back into a lying position.

Her chiding seemed to have mattered little to Sasuke as he seemingly ignored her and continued to observe his surroundings, surprised by his current situation. "How did I get back here?"

"At least his attitude hasn't changed," Natsu remarked with a pout, annoyed by the preconceived notion of ungratefulness he felt towards Sasuke after all the trouble he went through to find him.

"Guess so, aye" Happy reluctantly agreed.

"Jura and Natsu found you and brought you back here. But, regardless of that matter" Ichiya began to explain, jumping off of the bed and leaning on its edges, "We're still curious as to what you were doing in that lair?"

Everyone looked at Ichiya before staring back at Sasuke, some with looks of concern, others with a frown with the sole exception of Jura who simply gave a blank stare. "Investigating" Sasuke replied with a modicum of discomfort.

"And you didn't bother to tell us?" Ichiya asked, slightly annoyed by his response and a far cry from his usual goofy demeanor.

"Yeah" Natsu agreed, "Thought you were strong enough to handle it all by yourself?"

Sasuke shook his head. "It's nothing like that" he argued.

"Then what? Too cool to ask for help?" Natsu further incited.

"Not even close, you brain-dead idiot" the Uchiha grumbled.

"Why do you keep calling me that!" An infuriated Natsu tried to lunge for Sasuke, only to be held back by Ichiya, Happy, and Lisanna.

"Natsu! You can't do this, he's hurt!" Lisanna tried to explain and calm him down. "You don't want him to get worse, do you?"

It took a while for Natsu to calm down but once he eventually settled down, he exiled himself to a corner of the room to cool himself off. "Yeah, well maybe I should. That'll probably stop him from going out on his own and acting like some big shot."

After the dust cleared, Jura finally stepped forward and approached Sasuke. He had an aura of authority and respect that was lacking in the others, and thus the reason why they deferred to him for leadership and hoped Sasuke would at least listen to him. "I do not agree with young Natsu's methods here, but I concur with their concerns. Why were you investigating these matters on your own? Are we not trustworthy? Or is it that you have an agenda of your own?"

Silence fell in the air as Sasuke looked around at the faces that were staring down at him. He had his reasons for the secrecy, but he never thought it would sow this much mistrust amongst his own allies. In hindsight, he probably felt that he should've expected this, especially with someone as experienced and insightful as Jura.

But before he could utter another word, Jura inched closer to Sasuke until he was right next to him and said something that surprised everyone, including him, "Or perhaps, you did not wish to see your comrades come to harm and sought out to do the most difficult of the task by yourself in the hopes of sparing them the worst?"

Rather than respond, Sasuke quietly looked away with a sigh. Jura's question felt more like a self-assured answer, a way to reassure everyone that he was still on their side, to quell the mistrust and nip any discord in the bud.

"I know we each have our misgivings here. But it would not do well for us to have misgivings about each other like this" Jura announced, giving a small nod to Sasuke, indicating that the senior wizard knew the Uchiha's intentions. "Let Sasuke rest for the moment and we'll inform him of what has happened once he is better."

"Something happened?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and asked Jura.

The ace of Lamia Scale simply shook his head and left, while the others remained silent as they slowly began to exit the room.

"Try to get some sleep," Lisanna said.

"Hah! Now you know what it feels like!" Natsu being the sole exception laughed at the thought of Sasuke being locked out of the loop this time. A notion that did not go too well with the Uchiha.

Tit for tat, he supposed.

….

Sasuke's questions were eventually answered a few hours after he had rested enough. He was currently being led through the halls of the royal palace with Jura and the rest of the guildmates in tow, escorted by a group of armed guards.

"So, you're telling me that the princess has gone missing?" Sasuke repeated what had been briefed to him to clarify.

"Kidnapped would be more precise, but yes, more or less" Jura affirmed his inquiries, walking with a sense of urgency, "Perhaps you might have some ideas."

The Uchiha collected his thoughts and tried to gather all the clues that he had obtained so far: A dark guild conducting experiments to create monsters, collaborating with another group to lead an attack to capture her alive to gain access to the royal vault and the presence of the mysterious girl named Lynette who betrayed her and seemed to have an ulterior motive of her own. Putting two and two together his eye widened at the implication of what he might have discovered.

"I think I might have some ideas" Sasuke exclaimed, drawing Jura's attention next to him.

"That's good news then. We should inform the king immediately. We've been locked out of loop for a while now" he stated.

Unfortunately for Jura, rather than inform the king of what might have happened, the moment they entered the private chamber, Sasuke instead took the opportunity to barge through the guards and walk right up to King Toma, much to the displeasure of Arcadios again.

"I'll ask you again, where is the vault?" Sasuke demanded.

The boy's brazenness took the king by surprise and he blinked with confusion. "What is the meaning of this? Guards!" he ordered, to which the knights answered by drawing and pointing their weapons at Sasuke.

"I know where Princess Hisui is taken. Now, I won't ask again; where is the vault?" Sasuke demanded once more, undeterred by the soldiers surrounding him and his teammates.

"Sasuke…..." A worried Lisanna pointed out, looking around at the knights who were seemingly ready to arrest them.

"Uhhhh, perhaps you are taking things a bit too far, Sasuke?" Ichiya added, nervously shivering and sweating.

The king remained quiet before facing away. "I can't tell you" He reluctantly answered, his tone suggesting that an unbearably dark secret was being held within the place.

Regrettably, that was not the answer Sasuke was looking for. Out of patience, and already in a foul mood after his run-in with the demons of Tartaros, the Uchiha grabbed the king by the collar and pushed him forward till he was pinned to the wall. "What is so important in that vault that you would risk losing your own daughter for!?"

"You would dare!" Arcadios roared as he ordered his men to attack him, only to be obscured by Jura, who stood in his way and shook his head, an act that took nearly everyone by surprise.

"Before you do anything drastic, Sir Arcadios, at least hear him out" Jura requested.

"Hear him out! After what he just did!" An enraged Arcadios argued, drawing his sword from its' sheathe, only to once again be held back by Jura, who took hold of his arm and prevent the weapon from coming out.

"You have placed your trust in me, have you not?" Jura insinuated, staring at Arcadios with a firm resolve until the head knight relented. "And I trust the boy even if I do not agree with his methods, so have faith in me and just listen to what he has to say. I am sure he has good reason for doing this" he added.

Arcadios was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, the boy had laid hands on the king, a punishable offense, but on the other hand, the princess was missing and he needed intel, and if the boy had it, then he needed to get it out of him. The wizard Jura, someone whom he had come to respect, also seemed to vouch for the brat and place his trust in him.

Thankfully, the King solved his predicament by raising his hand and ordering the guards to stand down, despite still being pinned to the wall. "Arcadios, everyone. Please stand down" he ordered, "I also wish to know what the boy has to say." With a heavy sigh, Arcadios and the rest of the knights complied, allowing Lisanna and everyone else to exhale in relief.

"Gutsy" Natsu commented on Sasuke's assault on the king, impressed by his rash actions. Though, he was also surprised to see him lose his cool like that.

"He's kinda scary when he's angry" Happy added.

Sasuke let go of the king in return, who dusted himself off. He hated playing diplomat at a time like this but he had no choice in the matter. "As I've said before, the people who attacked you and tried to take your daughter belonged to the dark guild Tartaros or at least that's what I assumed" he explained, eyes all on him as they waited in bated breath for his next words, "But that's not the whole truth. The reality is that they're just hired guns here, using the attack as a testing ground for their experiments on Berserkers."

"Then who could have taken Hisui?" Toma asked.

"The people who collaborated with them, another group" Sasuke answered, "I don't know who they are or what they want, but I know it has something to do with Zeref"

"Zeref is alive!" Arcadios yelled, appalled by the revelation.

"I didn't say that" Sasuke argued, sweeping aside the idea of Zeref's existence for the moment. "But I do know that both Tartaros and the group they're collaborating with worship Zeref. And that vault has something they want. So, tell me where it is and I'll get your daughter back for you."

"That won't be necessary, we'll send our finest to assess the situation and take appropriate actions to see if you're telling the truth. If her majesty really is in the vault, then we'll stop them and get her back" Arcadios brushed off Sasuke's offer, "And if you're lying, you can count the days of living freely before getting locked up."

Sasuke smirked, "You don't have to believe me, but if you try to go there, I'll tell you this right now; none of you stand a chance. The last time they attacked, your people could barely hold their own without our help. What makes you think you can stand up to their leaders?"

"And you have a better chance?" Arcadios snarled and challenged his claim.

"Better than you. I've fought them before and I know their powers and tactics" the Uchiha answered with a hint of arrogance and pride, before looking at the king, "If you want her back, I'm your best chance."

Toma could see the confidence in the young man's eye, not the mention his suicidal bravery. The boy had no respect for his authority nor did he even seem to care that he was talking back to the king as if he were some common ruffian. Even if he was a bit put off by his brash attitude, it was refreshing to have someone challenge him like that and talk to him as an equal, it reminded him of what was most important, a challenge to his authority to make sure he never got complacent. And the one called Jura as well as the other wizards seemed to have profound trust in him as well. With a heavy sigh, he gave Sasuke the answer he sought, "It's in the mountains to the north. I will write the coordinates to the entrance."

"But your highness, surely you're not thinking about accepting his proposal. After what he just did" Arcadios argued, exasperated by his king's decision.

"I understand your concern, Arcadios. But the safety of my daughter is more important than whatever it is in that vault" Toma tried to dissuade his top Knights' worry. "This boy claims to be have knowledge on what is happening and he has shared it with us. I am going to place my trust in him for now. Nothing is more important than the safety of my precious Hisui. I hope you understand"

"Yes...your majesty" Arcadios reluctantly agreed and bowed.

"That's all I needed to hear," Sasuke said, as he turned around to face his teammates. "I'll head there as quickly as possible, the rest of you need to stay here and get ready."

"Ready for what?" Happy asked, scratching his head as he looked at Natsu, who cluelessly shrugged his shoulder.

"War. They're going to attack again, I'm sure of it" Sasuke replied.

"And what makes you so certain" Arcadios questioned.

"Because they'll likely create a distraction to make sure whatever it is they're doing with the princess is uninterrupted. And…... because that's what I would do" Sasuke blankly stated.

"What you would...arrgh never mind. If my king wishes it, then have it your way" Arcadios grumbled but held his tongue as he ordered the men to get ready.

"And are you really going out on your own again? Nu-uh, not this time" Lisanna stated, placing both hands on her hips, "Let me come with you"

"That won't be necessary. You need to stay here with the others and help them."

"Not buts. The last time you went out alone, we had to save you. I'm helping you out this time" Lisanna implored, "Besides, I can take you there faster with my takeover magic."

"Lisanna that-"

"We have the utmost faith in you, sir Sasuke" Jura interjected and stood beside Lisanna, his huge towering frame casting a shadow over her, "Which is why you should believe in us as well. Let the young lady go with you. I am sure she is quite capable of assisting you in your endeavors. Surely, you would know better than I, since she is your guildmate after all."

It was a split second but Sasuke noticed a nod coming from Jura. That man was a mystery in some ways, especially in his attempt at mentoring others as he was reliable individual, but the fact that he went out of his way to save him and made sure Natsu and the others didn't witness what was inside of that lair spoke volumes about his character. He had become someone whom he could rely on, someone who trusted him even after his less-than-inconspicuous actions, and someone who constantly stood up for him. It wasn't that he didn't have any faith in his teammates, he just didn't want them to constantly be put in danger. Then again, it's what they signed up for as wizards in a guild, so it was contradictory of him to be so concerned. Looking at the eager faces of Natsu, Happy, Ichiya, and Lisanna, he could tell that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to stop him. After all, he was just like them a long time ago; so maybe instead, he'd make sure to keep an eye out for them while they tried to be heroes just like Jura suggested.

"Alright, we'll go together Lisanna" Sasuke relented. He just hoped he could keep her safe, otherwise, he'd probably have to face the wrath of Mirajane.

"Whenever you're ready" Lisanna gave a determined nod and clenched her right fist.

"Alrighty then! We're going to teach these punks another lesson if they think about showing up!" Natsu jumped with joy at the thought of another battle with the beastmen, "I'm all fired up!"

"Young man" Toma called out to Sasuke who was preparing to leave along with the others, "Please, bring her back."

Sasuke turned his back and gave a gesture with his finger, a sign of his accepting his request.

---

True to his word, King Toma chalked up the coordinates on a piece of paper and handed it over to Sasuke and Lisanna. Using its instructions, the two made their way over to the secret location of the royal treasury deep within the mountains. Lisanna proved her worth by using one of her takeover spells to transform herself into a winged creature and carried Sasuke, who guided her with the coordinates in his hands.

Once they had arrived at the entrance, the two tensed as they readied for the worst while Sasuke began initiating the process of opening the door with instructions from the letter written by King Toma, only to realize that it had already been opened. They both looked at each other before shrugging off and entering the domain.

The place itself consisted of long hallways that led to a singular end on the other side. Within the hallways were the unconscious bodies of the soldiers who were guarding the vault littered everywhere. Based on their intricate armor, it would seem that these were the more elite of the military. "Stay sharp" Sasuke warned, to which Lisanna hummed in compliance trailing closely behind him.

On the other side of the hallway was a large door that had been bent out of shape, the handiwork of whom Sasuke was now quite familiar. "Lynette" he murmured, walking forward with Lisanna following suit. Once they were on the other side, a whole new world was revealed to them. It was an enormous, well-lit, dome-shaped area littered on all sides with gold coins and all manner of jewelry. There was enough to fill someone's pocket for a hundred lifetimes over.

"Whoa! Look at these coins" Lisanna wondered out loud, breath taken by the sight of the treasury as her head looked all around.

"Don't even think about it. They're not ours."

The youngest of the Strauss immediately pouted and gave an annoyed reply, "Of course not! What do you take me for!". Unconvinced, Sasuke stared at her with a raised brow with a look of indignation until the defenses eventually lowered and Lisanna gave out of half-hearted laugh, "O-okay…maybe I was thinking about taking just a liiitttle. It's not like nobody's gonna notice!"

Without anything else to say, the duo continued marching forward until they were led into what looked like an open lift on the far end of the chamber. The platform automatically descended once they stepped foot, leading them further down into the mountains' intricate cave system.

At the bottom, Sasuke and Lisanna were confronted with a sight that had long since been feared. The body of Princess Hisui lay next to what looked like a strange device with her hand placed on it; beside her was the unconscious body of another guard. The good news was that she still seemed to be breathing, meaning she was still alive. Standing next to her was a figure Sasuke was all too familiar with.

"Hisui!" Lisanna shouted, getting ready to run over to her aid only to be blocked from doing so by Sasuke, who placed his left hand in front of her. Without needing to say a word, Lisanna knew that Sasuke was warning her not to get close to that girl.

"Lynette," he said, his eye narrowly keeping watch.

"That's not my real name you know. You can stop calling me that" the girl formerly known as Lynette stated, surrounded by three mysterious men with even stranger uniforms.

"What are you really after?"

Ultear snickered at the boy's deadpan seriousness but was also nevertheless impressed by his commitment. "Something far beyond your understanding" she answered, making her move towards a massive bridge that led to another large chamber in the far distance, "The princess here has already proven that her blood is enough to give me exclusive access, so, unfortunately, this means I'll have to continue using her services until she's no longer useful. Oh, and don't try to follow me."

As the girl began walking away, Sasuke slowly dropped his hand and allowed Lisanna to run up to fallen guards and check up on them. As he strolled towards them, Lisanna looked up at him with a look of relief, "He's fine."

That was intriguing, to say the least. This girl who called herself Lynette could have easily killed them after she had gained access to this place thanks to Hisui, as it would've thwarted a possible witness. Was there more to her than simply being a mindless fanatic of Zeref?

With a loud sigh, he followed her. It didn't matter what hidden depth she had, right now she was a threat, and whatever she was after couldn't be for an altruistic reason. "Keep watch over him" he instructed Lisanna.

"But what about you?" the girl asked with worry.

"I'm going after her."

True to his word, Sasuke embarked on his pursuit of the girl formerly known as Lynette, who was now several steps ahead of her. By the time he caught up to her, she was already in the middle of the bridge escorted by two armed men, who wore blue hooded capes with white masks adorned by a distinct symbol, something he recognized from his memories back in Isvan. If the words of Silver were any indication, those symbols meant only one thing. "Grimoire Heart" he recalled.

"You know about it?" the girl uttered as she stared down Sasuke, flabbergasted by his intuition, "Then I guess there's no point in keeping up appearances. If you know who we are, then I suggest you turn back."

Sasuke was undeterred, coldly staring back "Not until you tell me where my left eye is."

"It's in safe custody, although quite useless at the moment" the girl shrugged and admitted, "But you'll never be able to see that now. Remove him."

With a snap of her finger, the girl commanded the two men to take care of Sasuke. Complying with her orders, the two dark guild members brandished their swords and rushed towards him, attempting to take him down swiftly only to have the tables turned quickly as Sasuke dispatched them with blinding speed. One moment he was in front of them, then next, behind them as they dropped their weapons and fell to the ground.

"Ugh, idiots" the girl groaned at her minion's incompetence before regaining her unflappable composure and turning her attention toward Sasuke. "Guess I'll have to deal with you myself. Arc of time"

As if on command, the earth beneath Sasuke shook violently as cracks began forming across the floor. Using the opportunity, the girl fled toward the other end of the bridge while Sasuke gave chase. Unfortunately, the construct had no longer become stable as pillars began falling down while the foundation itself crumbled from underneath. Below was an empty chasm, where the ground could not be seen; a dire warning for anyone who was to fall down.

Despite these circumstances, Sasuke continued chasing after the mysterious girl, rolling forward to dodge the falling pillars while concentrating his chakra on his feet to boost himself in jumping across the gaps that have formed. At this point, he had no choice but to move forward as the structure behind him had begun to disappear completely, leaving nothing behind. Running sideways through the walled section of the falling bridge, Sasuke was confronted by a massive gap that covered the space between him and the chamber where the mysterious girl was. Thinking quickly, the Uchiha noticed pieces of debris that were falling down from what was left of the bridge that connected it to the chamber, large enough to fit him.

With all of his might, Sasuke jumped forward, landing on one of the debris, before using the momentum of its fall to leap into the air once more to land on the other one. It was a delicate balance, he had to be quick with his debris hopping, otherwise, he'd be falling down into the nothingness below. But as he reached the final stretch of his jump, he realized that he was unable to reach the final debris properly, not only because it was too far, but because it had fallen down faster than he anticipated.

Yet, even when things seemed hopeless, even when it looked like he was about to plummet to the darkness below, two massive talons grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder and pulled him up. Looking up, Sasuke realized that Lisanna had disregarded his orders and went after the two of them. "I told you to stay back" Sasuke reprimanded Lisanna for her disobedience.

Normally she would listen and take in his reproach, but at this moment, Lisanna was having none of it. "And let you fight her all by yourself? No way!" Lisanna argued back, dropping Sasuke to the chamber below as she landed next to him, "I told you that I would help and I'm going to do exactly that."

"Aww, isn't that sweet" the girl formerly known as Lynette condescendingly remarked, "Unfortunately, you both are too late to stop this."

Her boasting wasn't just for show, she backed it up by causing an enormous gap in the chamber between them and the sacred vault she and the princess were currently standing on as the dark guild members used her hands to unlock the seal to the vault. "At last, one of Zeref's seals is finally ours!" the girl gloated, throwing Hisui aside as the final guard caught the princess. Sasuke and Lisanna looked on with wide eyes as the mysterious girl grabbed the contents of the vault, only to be surprised when she turned around with a look of disgust at the object in her hands.

"This? This is the ultimate treasure of the sacred vault?" she shouted, looking repulsed by the object in hand, " A rag? A stupid rag!"

Even Sasuke and Lisanna were dumbfounded by this revelation. After all this time, all the lives sacrificed, all the destruction caused. All for some mundane rag? What was so important about this item that the king was willing to risk it all to protect it?

Tossing the piece of cloth aside, the girl stepped forward and stared daggers into the eye of Sasuke who could read her killing intent. In anticipation of what was about to happen, the Uchiha whispered something into Lisanna's ear that left her shocked.

"What? Are you sure?" Lisanna asked.

"I' am. Now get back" Sasuke insisted, upon which Lisanna silently complied and took a few steps back as instructed.

"Trying to keep her out of this isn't going to do much now" the purple-haired girl stated, giving off an eerie smile on her face, "You've been a thorn in our side for some time now, hunting down and destroying our sub guilds and right now, I've got some steam to let out. I hope you're ready to be receive punishment, Sasuke Uchiha."

"If you know my name, then tell me yours" Sasuke responded, his hand on his sword's hilt as he kept a wary eye on his opponent.

"What for?" she asked.

"You're challenging me to a duel. Call it basic courtesy" Sasuke pressed.

"Basic courtesy?" the girl couldn't help but let out a laugh at his statement yet, she didn't reject his notion either, as she answered with a sigh, "Very well. It's Ultear; Ultear Milkovich."

"Ultear" Sasuke repeated.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way" Ultear continued, using her magic to summon back the fallen sections of the chamber, connecting the two of them together again. It was something that still concerned Sasuke since he had never seen that kind of magic before.

"Prepare yourself, Sasuke Uchiha. You may have survived Kyôka but I'm nothing like her."

---

The anticipation for the expected assault was so long and arduous that Jura felt like going out of his way to find the danger for himself just so he could alleviate his feelings of unease. The same could not be said of Ichiya or Natsu and his cat friend, the latter two of whom were groaning with boredom over the lack of presence of any threat so far.

Jura however was always on full alert. Having witnessed the things Sasuke was investigating, he had no reason to doubt the boy and at the very least, his comrades were on the same boat as he was, although expressed differently.

The same could not be said of the royal knights, who seemed dismissive of Sasuke's claims, while others were outright suspicious of him. And for good reason, since he had just assaulted and challenged the authority of the king himself. Those who cast suspicion on him believed that this was nothing more than a ruse to keep them busy while he was doing something illegal.

"Are you certain that an attack will happen?" Jura heard Arcadios voice his displeasure as the man stood beside him. The head knight made it no secret of his distrust for Sasuke and justifiably so, given all that had happened between them and the fact that Sasuke didn't exactly endear himself to them either. Regardless, it fell to him to act as the mediator between these two stubborn people and help them work towards a similar goal.

"Maybe, maybe not, I do not know" Jura frankly confessed, "But all the same, I trust him. You should too."

Arcadios was frankly appalled by that suggestion, stepping in front of Jura with a frown, "Trust? Hah, I've said it before and I'll say it again, that boy has put his hands on the King. So, tell me, once again why exactly I should-"

His protest was cut short by the sound of an explosion near one of the gates. As he, Jura, and the rest looked towards the point of origin, they were witness to a small group of guards frantically running up to them.

"What happened?" Arcadios asked.

The soldiers took a few seconds to catch their breath before answering, "The eastern gate…. it's being attacked."

In that instant, all suspicions of the boy's motivation seemed to have dissipated as Arcadios turned towards his companion, expecting some sort of rebuke or gloating. Rather than that, however, Jura simply patted his shoulder, as if to comfort him.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. Give the signal to your men" Jura advised, as Natsu, Happy and Ichiya stood firmly beside him. "We are ready to fight by your side."

Arcadios complied with Jura's advice and shouted to his men, "Redeploy to the eastern gates! Move!"

The remaining knights obeyed without hesitation and marched in an orderly fashion, ready to repel the invaders and protect their king. Arcadios reciprocated Jura's kindness by placing his own hands on the Iron Rock's shoulder, much like had done to him, looked at Natsu, Happy and Ichiya and humbly requested for his aid, "Jura, will you and your comrades lend us your strength once more?"

"Of course," Jura bowed.

"This shall be a battle to remember, meeeeen" Ichiya added, sliding back his hair as his face sparkled.

"Oh yeah! Time to kick some butt!" Natsu declared, raising his fist in the air.

"Aye!" Happy joined in with his best friend.

Seeing the enthusiasm and determination emanating from these guild wizards filled Arcadios with a sense of pride and hope. If half his men could fight with the same amount of gusto as they will, then the battle would be theirs. "Good, now then. Let's send these monsters back to where they came from!" He ordered.

---

AN: I'm almost done with this arc, just one more chapter (Which is nearly complete as well). It was originally going to end in this chapter but it was just too long, so I had to divide it into two sections.

On that note, Sasuke Retsuden manga and the latest chapter in the 100 year quest both have come out. Personally, both are kinda …weird. Sasuke fighting dinosaurs? And Irene getting….well, I won't spoil, it's just weird, I honestly don't know how to properly express it, you all just have to read it to understand. But it's already become a meme in the Fariy Tail reddit section.

Next up, Sasuke vs Ultear! I had a lot of fun writing their fight.

Aka Daka: I have to hard disagree on that outfit. When I think of Sasuke's face in those clothes, he looks less like a badass ninja or a wanderer and more like an orderly in a mental hospital or a chef. That outfit just doesn't fit his aesthetic in my opinion and the pure white with black pants and white shoes just contrast way too much. Honestly, other than in fanarts, Japanese high school esque outfits just don't fit too well with him, at least for me.

Neoyle: Kazuha has the same build and frame as Shippuden Sasuke. Not only that, but his aesthetic and outfit match Sasuke as well, like a mix between his first Shippuden outfit and his third, with additional accessories and details. Regarding the time skips, yes, I will do a one year time skip.

Kaleidoscope's Beauty: Sasuke and Riku are like the poster boys for Shonen rivals.

Robin Chwan Fatliyansyah: You'll have to wait and see how it looks. I might draw them if I have the time.

Dxhologram: He's never been against working with others. The lesson of teamwork has been beaten into his head by Kakashi since the beginning and he's carried that even at his worst. That's why he formed Hebi/Taka and was perfectly in sync with Team 7 when he switched sides again. It's just that outside of what he considers important, he doesn't have a lot of social skills or just doesn't care.

Yoj1mb03796: Sasuke vs Ultear is coming right up. It'll be the second fight with a canonical opponent (Mirajane was the first) and not an OC. I like to try and make fights that are not complete stomps, so Ultear magic works perfectly with Sasuke's tactics.

Moose16364: My biggest issue with the Otsutsuki is that their walking plot devices, cartoonishly evil for the sake of evil and their broken powers makes things boring. Nothing wrong with generic evil villains but after getting villains like Zabusa and Haku, Orochimaru, Nagato/Pain, Itachi, Danzo, Deidara, Sasori, Obito and Madara, the Otsutsuki feel flat. Also, regarding not getting bogged down by too much, its one of the reasons I'm focusing more on character interactions and developments over moving towards canon at a breakneck speed.

Seeking the Miraculous Dream: Natsu is basically Naruto to an uncomfortable degree for Sasuke, and it's one of the reasons he tries not to hang around too much with Natsu; he reminds him too much of Naruto.

Dr4g0nb411z: Thanks

Sinner and Redeemer: It helps that the Fairy Tail guild is very open and accepting of others. Despite how he acts, he actually fits right in with a guild full of misfits that have no place in society, just like he is. So even if he doesn't admit to it, he's basically become part of the group.

black luster: Thank you

Kensei – 1085: Doesn't hurt that the members of Fairy Tail are always welcoming of others, regardless of their quirks, so they would have no problem with way Sasuke acts since they'd accept him all the same.

Protector for all: Even if she doesn't know, I think she can pick up from Mirajane that she's fond of him. That and she's a total sweetheart towards everyone, so Sasuke wouldn't be an exception.