'Birth'

Flames. Endless red flames.

Lightning. Blue streaks weaving through the fire.

The pressure was immense, yet neither the flames nor the lightning harmed him. Surrounded by this hell, amidst the roar of fire and thunder, the sharp cry of a fox could be heard resonating amidst the deafening noise.

As the flames hugged him, and the lightning nipped him, he felt peaceful. Funny, it had been years since he had felt this way… or had it? He couldn't remember and didn't care anymore. Falling into a deep slumber within this peaceful hell, he remembered no more.

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Waking up, he looked around confused. Why did he feel so comfortable, yet so uneasy? Just as he was looking around, he saw a girl approaching him. The first word to come to his mind was red. A red so beautiful it could only be called perfect. Scarlet, that was the word that surfaced in his mind. Moving on, her brown eyes, filled with warmth yet slightly hollow, were displaying concern.

"Hello. Are you okay?" Mysterious girl

He felt his face heat up hearing her question. That voice was beautiful, yet so nostalgic at the same time. Seeing her concern however, he straightened up.

"I … I'm fine. Where am I?"

Then it hit him, besides that, who was he? He didn't remember his name as well. As his confusion grew, she must have felt it as well.

"Uhm, you're in the magic guild Fairy Tail. We found you collapsed on the doorstep. My name is Erza, what's yours?" Erza

He panicked, not sure what to say. However, looking at her, he didn't want to lie.

"I don't … know."

Looking down, he waited for her reaction. He thought she might be angry or might think he was lying. However, he felt arms around him. Admittedly they were slightly painful being armoured after all, but the feeling was transmitted. Looking up, with slightly teary eyes, he saw she was closer, holding his head closer to her chest. Patting his head, she looked at him with a warm smile.

"That's alright. We can think of one then, one that you like." Erza

Thinking hard, he was at a loss for a minute. Then, as if someone had said the word directly in his mind, a name appeared.

"Inari … that's what I choose. From now on I'm Inari Shinku!" Inari

She looked at him weirdly for a moment. Inari took this time to look around the room they were in. He was on a wooden bed, and the surroundings were sparsely decorated. It felt like an infirmary, so he took it as one. Outside the window showed a myriad of colours, all bright and lively.

"Why did you pick that surname?" Erza

Inari snapped back to looking at her and thought for a moment before blushing slightly.

"It just … popped into my head. I have no other reason whatsoever!" Inari

Erza stared at him as he slowly turned redder until there was a knock on the door. Not waiting for an answer, the door opened, and an old man walked in. This old man was short, shorter than Erza even, and probably shorter than Inari.

"Well, Erza? Who is this young man? Does he need any help?" Makarov

Erza turned around, straightening up a bit. She bowed slightly before showing an upright posture.

"He's fine Master Makarov. However, he must have lost his memories, or maybe they were taken away. He didn't know his name or where he was." Erza

"Hmm, that is weird. Young man, would you mind if I checked your memory with magic?" Makarov

Inari immediately nodded, as he was curious as well. Makarov walked close, placed a hand on either temple and initiated the magic. Suddenly, Inari was surrounded by flames, with lightning piercing through. He also felt comfortable. Unbeknownst to himself, he had fell unconscious and flames had sprung up around him. The interesting part was that the flames burnt nothing, and there were arcs of lightning flashing around him.

Makarov sprang backwards instantly, subconsciously fearing the flames, but not knowing why. He looked at Erza and saw she was shocked as well, concluding that this only occurred because he had used magic on Inari. Makarov felt odd, since the flames didn't radiate any magic and neither did Inari.

"Master, what's happening?" Erza

Makarov pondered for a moment, before sitting on a chair and motioning for Erza to do so as well.

"It seems that he is innately gifted to practice a magic, that seems to be a Lost or Ancient one. The reason for the reaction might be because he has never encountered magic on or in his body yet, so he subconsciously reacted. There's no harm, we just have to wait for a bit." Makarov

Erza nodded and sat quietly on a chair. 10 minutes later the flames and lightning died down. After 30 minutes, Inari finally woke up. He seemed refreshed, as if he had experienced a lovely memory. He seemed to be rejoicing in the feeling.

"Inari, what happened? Did you remember something?" Erza

Inari shook off his thoughts and thought. All he remembered was a warm feeling, akin to a gentle touch filled with love.

"No, but I remembered warmth. It was so nice, as if I was being hugged and kissed by my mother … but … but I don't remember anyone, let alone my mother or father." Inari

Inari felt a bad mood settling on him before he was hugged again. This time, along with the slightly painful Armor, there were other arms as well. Focusing, he saw both Master Makarov and Erza hugging him. Tears started streaming down his face as he cursed his lost memory, since now he had nobody in his life. Makarov looked at him as if he had read his thoughts.

"If you really don't remember, then why not join our family? Here at Fairy Tail, we are a family, with me as the grandfather. So, are you up to it?" Makarov

Inari started crying, because this was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to know someone, anyone, and now he was offered a whole family. He nodded, unable to talk due to tears of joy and sorrow. Joy at the family he gained, sorrow for the family he probably lost.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, newbie. Let's have fun in the future." Erza

Erza smiled at Inari, while Inari blushed through the tears. Makarov looked on and smirked, before poking Erza in her forehead.

"You aren't here that much longer either. You've only been here for 2 months yourself" Makarov

Erza turned red and Inari laughed, clearing up his tears. Makarov laughed as well, before looking at Inari.

"Inari, do you know your birthday at least? Looking at you with magic, you're around 11, same as Erza." Makarov

Inari shook his head, saying that nothing before waking up in this room was there. Makarov pondered, before suggesting.

"Why don't you take this day as your birthday then? It basically is, since you have a fresh start from today." Makarov

Inari thought about, darting shy looks at Erza a few times. Seeing her encouragement, he decided.

"Then today's my birthday. Thank you, Master Makarov." Inari

Inari bowed, showing his sincere thanks. Makarov held him up, saying there was no need since they were family, and Erza just smiled, happy with her new guildmate, no matter what magic he had.

"With that done, do flames and lightning have any special meaning to you?" Makarov

Erza also looked curiously at Inari as he contemplated, before he nodded slightly.

"Yes, before I woke up, I felt like I was surrounded by flames filled with sparks. Also, the memory you helped me recall also had them. Why, did something happen?" Inari

Makarov pondered before shaking his head. He didn't want to scare Inari, so he lied.

"No, I just got that from your mind when I used the magic." Makarov

Erza's gaze shifted slightly, but Inari didn't notice. He was trying to recall anything, but ultimately failed.

"Never mind that, let's get out and see the guild shall we!" Makarov

Makarov walked out, Inari following him. Erza was the last to leave, and when they exited, Inari could see themselves in a massive bar. All the furniture was wooden, plus they looked as if they were replaced recently. The guild hall was full, raucous laughter as well as intense arguments happening all around. People were drinking, singing, dancing and fighting, nobody noticing their arrival. Makarov stiffened, a vein visible on his temple as two tables were broken in a fight. Suddenly his head grew to the size of a horse.

"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING TO OUR HALL!!!" Makarov

Erza laughed under her hands while Inari stared blankly. The guild quietened down, before everyone looked at Inari.

"Gramps, who's the kid? Was he the one found outside?" Laxus

Everyone came to a realisation, before most of them returned to their own activities, noise quickly returning to the hall. Makarov shook his head, now normal sized, leading Inari to the bar area. There he grabbed a stamp like device, with the same shape as the mark on the flags hung around the bar.

"This is our guild mark. Now that you're joining, what colour and where would you like it?" Makarov

Inari considered before deciding on purple and located on his chest over his heart. The colour was something that popped into his mind, while the location was on a whim. Erza looked at his mark and nodded, causing Inari to blush slightly because of where it was located. Makarov smiled at the look on Inari's face before turning to the guild and raising his voice again.

"EVERYONE, this is Inari. From now on he will be part of Fairy Tail. Let's give a warm welcome!" Makarov

Everyone in the guild cheered, welcoming a new member.

"WELCOME TO FAIRY TAIL!!!" Everyone

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Within a maelstrom of fire and lightning, the soft cry of a fox was heard before 2 purple eyes, blazing even amidst flames, opened and stared into the void surrounding the fire.