7 Chapter 7

After discussing about the plan, Sasuke decided to stay for the rest of the 3 days in Afan Town while Erza didn't have other choices.

The plan was simple, they would wait for the monster's arrival inside the town, and then ambushed it. Since all of the people had been evacuated, they didn't need to worry about fighting in the town and might causing casualties.

In the night, the townsfolk cooked dinner together and ate like it was a big festival. The grim and desolate night, seemed turning into a glorious bright, sunny daylight. Even in the peril, the people would laughs and cheers, like they were in a magnificent feast.

Sasuke didn't participate, he watched over them from afar, his ground were the greenish hill and his ceiling was the cloudy sky.

"What are you writing?"

Erza approached him, she noticed a book and a pen within his grasp.

"My thought."

She stopped a couple of feet away from him, said, "About what?"

"Why an apple fall from its tree."

"You're thinking something like that?" Erza knitted her eyebrows,

"It's one of the others."

"What are you other thought?"

"Why a bird fly."

Erza began to rub her head, seemingly became more confused, it not by any mean that she was stupid, it's just Sasuke's words were very irrelevant and strange.

Sasuke wasn't kidding with her, he really pondered such issues, however, he couldn't find the answer. and no, he didn't mean any physical answer, he knew an apple fell from its tree was due to the gravity and he knew the bird fly because the uniqueness of their kind.

What he pondered about... was a substantial answer, a greater meaning behind something, behind everything.

"I don't like being in a crowd," Sasuke dropped the crazy talk as he closed the book.

"I don't mind, sometime it can be fun," Erza smiled a bit as she glanced at the townsfolk.

"One loud mouth is already too much for me, let alone that many," Sasuke shrugged, "I wonder if they are celebrating because of you?"

"Maybe part of it, but not the whole reason, they did it even yesterdays."

"Is it some kind of ritual?"

"No, in the regular days, they dined normally."

Sasuke went silent, staring at the settlement with an inquiry gaze.

"People... is easy to be afraid when they are alone, the thought of no one to share... the idea of facing the danger yourself... the pressure to shoulder the burden yourself..." Erza slowly sat on the grass, hugging her knees, she said, "but when we are together, and we trust the bond we have made with each other, it's like even if the whole world is our enemy, we have nothing to fear."

"..." Sasuke frowned, his mind drifted to Naruto and Sakura.

He remembered being constantly annoyed by the two... Naruto, who kept looking for a trouble with him. Sakura, who kept making him uncomfortable.

They went on a lot of missions together, and spending time together, his annoyance for the two had never decreased, and Kakashi's antic didn't help either, however, one thing that annoyed him the most about them, those three...

... they managed to make him smile...

"Terrible people..." Sasuke sighed.

"Who?" Erza glanced at Sasuke.

"People who you wish they would just leave you alone, yet they stick on you like a gum..." Sasuke shrugged.

"Sounds lovely," Erza grinned, she said, "that means they love you very much."

"Stop talking, you send shiver down my spine."

Erza couldn't help but laugh, then she stood up, said with courageous tone, "Alright, since we are going to work together, I need to measure your ability first."

"And how do you propose that?"

She summoned a sword into her hand, with a wide smile, she pointed the sword into Sasuke.

He understood her meaning, and he chuckled, Sasuke flicked his cloak and pulled out Kusanagi.

"Let me see the strength of the so-called number one Magic Guild in Fiore."

"I hope you won't be disappointed," Erza said, then her smile faded, she immediately charged ahead!

*Clang!*

Erza brandished her sword and easily got blocked by Sasuke, then they were fiercely clashing, but Sasuke out matched Erza's movement.

Erza took a couple steps back, then her body glowed, she had mentioned her magic was the ability to change her armor and weapon that she had kept inside her space-pocket, her fighting style was similar of that Tenten.

True enough, her attire had changed, she wore an armor with silver wings made of swords, then she summoned a lot of floating swords, her two hands also wield swords.

"Go!" Erza sent the floating swords toward Sasuke, he dodged a couple of them and deflected some with his Kusanagi, she flew toward him and the second round of clash began, now Erza got the advantage of wielding two swords, and controlling the others lot.

Must know that Sasuke had lost his arm in a fight with Naruto, so he was slightly in disadvantage, thankfully with the help of Sharingan, the problem was solved.

Erza controlled her swords and made them encircled Sasuke, attacking him from every direction.

Sasuke traded place with a block of wood, replacing him from being stabbed badly by the swords, then Sasuke blew large fireball from his mouth, Erza flew to the air to avoid the attack.

However, Sasuke had anticipated Erza's movement, so he leaped at her, he managed to tackle her from the air and they both landed on the ground, then Sasuke pointed his sword tip and Erza's forehead, he said, "One point for me."

Erza widened her eyes, Sasuke stepped away from above her and offered his hand to help her up, Erza didn't reject it.

"Your fighting ability is professional; if you manage to take me down, then I don't need to worry about our operation," Erza nodded.

"Is that mean we are stopping?" Sasuke smirked.

"The night is still early!"

...

Erza was dripping wet, the sweats had covered her skin while heavy gasps produced from her mouth.

On the other hand, Sasuke barely out of breath, but he did consume a lot of chakra and sweating, neither the young man nor woman knew how long they had been sparring, Sasuke couldn't count how many weapons and armors Erza had changed.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had fought simply with his basic techniques, he hadn't used Amaterasu, Susano'o, and the secret ability of Rinnegan.

"Amazing... if you are in our guild, you will be an S-class mage by now..." Erza panted.

"You are not bad either, Fairy Tail really deserve its reputation," Sasuke said, then he sheathed his sword.

Erza changed back to her basic armor and laid down on the field, she said, "It's been quite sometime since I was defeated a lot like this, it's kinda feel weird after a while."

"That means you are the strongest?"

"No, no, in Fairy Tail, there are 4 others who are in the same rank with me, however, I never fought them anymore these days, so I don't know the different in strength between us at the moment..." Erza said, closing her eyes, "the other one that is I have no doubt stronger than me is my master, the Fairy Tail's Guild Master, Master Makarov."

"I see."

"Perhaps is good to be beaten like this, making me realize that there are stronger people out there than me."

"Oh, you have no idea," Sasuke bitterly shook his head, compared with Kaguya, his ability was still way below.

"Well, I am dirty and tired, taking a bath and eat will be the proper treatment," Erza stood up and summoned a towel, she looked at Sasuke and said, "come, you are dirty too."

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke wrinkled his eyebrows, did she just ask him to bath together?

"What's the problem? Are you embarrassed?" Erza laughed, she said, "I used to bath with my friends from the Guild, so I don't have problem bathing with you."

"Go ahead, I am not that dirty anyway," Sasuke shook his head, actually that wasn't true, Sasuke was dusty from above to below.

It's just there was no way he could take a bath with a woman, he didn't have that kind of... mental preparation.

"Alright," Erza nodded and she headed to the river, Sasuke looked at her back, the fragrant of her scent still lingered behind.

His thought drifted back to Kakashi's words about repopulating his clan, but Sasuke quickly chased that thought with disdain smile, what a stupid talk.

He got no time for such a thing...