3 Fairy Tail

Navigating through Hargeon didn't prove to be much of a hassle as Erza first believed it would be.

Itachi made the navigation quite smooth. He had an eidetic memory, and he was one of the brightest shinobi to ever live. A simple look told him everything he needed to know about Hargeon. There was a pattern to everything in life. Ninjutsu, love or architecture. Everything followed a strict pattern, and if you observed close enough you can solve anything by watching it. The difficult part isn't following a pattern, it's recognizing the pattern.

One short walk into town and Itachi knew where to go. There were few as skilled as him on picking up patterns in the world.

Erza walked a slight step behind him at all times. She wanted to get to know the man more, but for the love of everything, she couldn't think of anything to ask. She wanted to ask about his magic but didn't wanna be rude. She hoped he would be the talkative type as they grew closer, but to her agonizing realization, he became even more distant during their travel.

Before they had left the ship, Calamai had shown them a map of the area. The distance, much to Erza's delight between Hargeon and Magnolia wasn't huge. If it was any longer she might have pestered Itachi about getting a horse-drawn carriage. Luckily she didn't have to climb that impossibly steep mountain. Convincing that stoic man of something seemed like the definition of the impossible.

"We're picking up the pace, Erza. We want to cover half the distance before nightfall." They had stayed the night on the ship so they could set out at first light. Which ended up being several hours after dawn since Itachi let Erza sleep some more.

"We could have taken the train, couldn't we?" It was just as the words left her mouth that she realized that she made no sense. Neither had any money to speak of.

"I do not have any currency." Itachi glanced back with a taunting look as if to say he noticed her slip-up.

"Do you?"

"No..."

"Well, how about we stick to the road for now. And, should the opportunity to gain a little money appear I will let you know." He picked up the pace forcing Erza to almost jog to keep up. His legs were a lot longer than hers.

"Bully, stop walking so fast."

"There is a common behaviour among humans. We don't appreciate what we have until it is no longer with us. So, how about you use those legs for what they were created."

"To kick your butt," Erza said quietly under her breath. Her annoyance, unfortunately, had got the better of her.

"There's that warrior spark. Hold onto that." Itachi suddenly picked up the pace yet again.

"But, I can not let that go unpunished." His speed forcing Erza to run to keep up.

'Let's see where her level is at. She shouldn't have the same stamina as a shinobi her age, but from just a look, she also shouldn't be far behind.' And in this manner, they continued until the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

They had stopped when Itachi spotted a small grove some ways away from the road. It came just at the opportune time as it was starting to become too dark for Erza to see the road. She had yelled for Itachi twice already, having lost sight of him. His clothes, hair and training as a master assassin showed how easily he disappeared in the dark.

"Erza, go get some wood. twigs will work, just make sure they're dry. Do not walk far." Itachi started building a makeshift fireplace, something to keep the wolves away. There was something he realized on the way, he had no idea what magic could do to natures guardians.

Chakra could enhance beasts to be scary opponents. What could this world's magic do? A question he wasn't eager to find out the answer to. Not yet, at least.

Erza came back a few minutes later with a few twigs and some more durable pieces of wood. She carefully placed them beside the fireplace as Itachi stacked them one at a time. He then performed a quick one-handed seal and spit a small fire from his mouth.

She watched on in awe as he did so, she hadn't really seen magic performed in a casual setting and therefore never had the chance to admire its wonderous side. If only she knew that it was not magic she had seen.

Itachi actually breathed out a silent breath of relief when he realized that he would probably be able to disguise ninjutsu as magic as long as he utilized it cleverly. He could make them think he is using magic if he disguises his chakra usage with magic. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to learn magic. He didn't know if there would be drawbacks to its practice. Dangers or whatnot. having an energy similar to chakra in his body was one thing, but using it was another. He wanted to do research on it before making such a decision.

"Can you make anything else other than fire?"

"That information is private, don't you think?"

Erza looked really uncomfortable. On one side, she didn't wanna offend Itachi, but she also really wanted to know the full extent of what he could do. She felt safe around him, no doubt about that, but she was a curious little girl. All mages are naturally curious, the same was true for Itachi and the general shinobi populace. The difference was shinobi were trained to control their emotions.

"I'm sorry. I haven't met another mage before. I got a little excited."

"No worries, Erza. I don't easily trust, and neither should you." He saw her eyes lose a little of their exciting spark.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't trust others. But, you should be careful with whom you share your weakness, your strength and things like that. Mutual respect builds trust, so first learn to respect before you trust."

"Mm, okay."

"I never were one to dig into other peoples personal affairs, but do you mind telling me what happened with your eye?" He nor the crew had addressed the piece of cloth over her right eye. One look was enough for him to determine it was a very recent injury.

"S-Some other time maybe."

"Okay. You don't know me well so you have no obligation to tell me anything. I will listen if you need to talk, but don't feel like you have to."

"Mm," Erza was still answering absentmindedly. She was clearly somewhere else mentally, not fully here nor there. Much was from the exhaustion that still plagued her mind and body.

"Go to sleep now, I'll wake you at dawn." She didn't answer him but instead turned around to sleep.

Itachi never meant to hurt her or take away her childishness or trust in others. But, until he knew what mages were like, he was gonna teach her how to survive while relying on instincts and intellect.

Logic has always dictated how he moved, maybe that would change here. He didn't know, but he would play it safe.

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At dawn, as he had promised, he nudged Erza with a stick to wake her. He was putting out the fire that he had kept alive throughout the night. Due to not knowing the dangers of this new magical land, he barely slept and when he did close his eyes it was only for minutes at a time. He couldn't relax without knowing the danger when sleeping outside.

Back at the elemental nations, he knew every kind of threat that could jump him during the night. Therefore he could prepare for that, here he knew next to nothing. He had still set up perimeters around their site, but nothing too advanced.

"Good morning." The cheerful tone was somewhat back again, a night of sleep appeared to have reset her mindset. She even managed out a slight smile.

"Eat your breakfast and then we're going. We need to cover the distance to Magnolia before nightfall." She did as she was told and ate the food that the captain had provided for them.

It wasn't much, but Itachi if nothing else was terrifyingly efficient. He ate and drank just enough to keep his body going, so Erza had plenty to eat in comparison. A well-trained shinobi could survive on bare minimums for a long time.

"Thank you for the food." She clasped her hand together and bowed, something he hadn't expected.

'She has table manners. Good.'

"Let's go." They packed up and continued their journey.

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Not much was said during the journey, only a few questions from Erza about Itachi's history.

Ss she herself had predicted, he answered vaguely. Mentioned he was a soldier but didn't dive into specifics. Said nothing about dying and waking up randomly in the ocean in what could possibly be another dimension. He didn't feel she was ready for something of that magnitude. Not that he was likely to ever reveal that. He would most likely be seen as someone who had completely lost their mind.

Another topic he contemplated while they crossed the ever-expanding fields of green was his eyes. Specifically his Sharingan. He still had them, he had checked, and he felt good. His vision was good enough to make him suspicious. Better than that, in fact, he didn't feel as he did back in his home dimension. He didn't feel weak, there was no feeling of tiredness that he could never rid himself of before.

He was glad he had not lost them, but nothing ever came free. That was one truth he knew would never change in his life. Everything had a price, and if he got liberated from his illness there was a price he had or would have to pay. He dreaded for what that would be.

Erza suddenly ran past him when a large city started to appear around the horizon.

"There it is! Magnolia!" Her childish excitement was back in spades, and it was nothing to hold it back. Itachi said nothing, but he let a smile slip as he watched her bounce around excitedly. It appeared all the horror she had witnessed simply melted away with the sight of that magnificent city.

"Even from this distance, I can see that that is a beautiful city. I think you will like it there."

"I think so too!" She ran ahead, whistling happily, but she also made sure not to actually leave Itachi behind. He was associated with safety so she didn't drift too far away.

Another little while later and they officially stepped foot inside the sparkling city. Itachi wasn't kidding when he described it as the perfect tranquil paradise. Silver-coloured paradise, sparkling water running through the city via a canal. People with clothes he'd never seen, it looked a hundred years more advanced than a Hidden Village. A feeling of safety inhabited this magnificent metropolis and the difference to walking through this city compared to his old home was astronomical.

'Maybe my home would look like this if we weren't killing each other constantly. If we ever had the chance to develop.'

"Itachi, hurry up! Please," Erza got so annoyed at how he stopped every few seconds. He wasn't fully paying attention so he allowed her to drag him through the streets. That was until she encountered a problem and stopped abruptly.

Itachi snickered quietly a poked at her cheek lightly.

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"N-No! I-I'm not! This way!" She pointed in one direction.

"We came from that direction." He said dryly.

"T-Then, that way!"

"That would take us in a circle, eventually coming back right here."

"Hmm."

"Excuse me," Itachi grabbed a passerby quickly and asked for direction. And, just like that, a few seconds later they were on their way to Fairy Tail.

Stepping up to the gates was a mighty experience for the little redhead. She felt about as tall as a mouse in comparison to the guild building.

Itachi, as usual, looked stoic, like nothing of this mattered. In reality, he was carefully observing every nook and cranny of the building, he was also carefully evaluating the powerful presence inside. Which was strange because he wasn't a sensory ninja, and he had never focused on that branch.

But, there were a few he could pick up clear as day, and it wasn't chakra, he could discern that much. That only left one alternative.

"Come on, we can't stand out here all day, we surely look suspicious." Itachi gave the doors a mighty push, and unexpectedly they flew open with a ferocious swing. It was so unexpected that he stood and stared at his hand for a short moment. Those doors weren't tiny nor light. Yet, it felt like pushing air.

'Another thing to test later. My physical prowess.'

There wasn't much of a reason to stand there being stared at. Itachi walked with a calm but protective posture towards the strongest person in the guild. His physical presence somewhat masking Erza so only the rare few could look past him to see the tiny redhead.

"Good day, son." Makarov the third guild master and Wizard Saint sat on the counter with a beer in hand. He was one of the few who weren't intimidated by Itachi's presence. He was on edge, but he saw how closely the girl stuck to the Uchiha.

"Follow me." He jumped down from the counter and walked the stairs up to the second floor. Itachi said nothing and followed, and Erza not having much of a choice also followed.

All three walked into Makarov's office. He jumped and sat down on his desk.

"Please, sit. I can see this is a conversation not to be had in public."

"Do you not like chairs?" Itachi asked before even acknowledging the topic at hand.

"It's cool to sit on tables."

"Hm. I would have guessed it was because you are so short."

The air instantly grew colder. A vein on Makarov's forehead threatened to burst, he stared menacingly into Itachi's eyes.

"If you want to walk out of here with all limbs attached. You would do well to hold your tongue." His voice was cold as hell itself.

"I understand. I didn't mean offence, I thought you were aware of your physical disability."

"Boy..."

"Itachi, stop making him mad or he won't let me join," Erza whispered, but not enough for Makarov not to hear. The cold atmosphere disappeared almost instantly as he went to address her.

"Are you interested in joining the guild?" His calculative gaze studying her. For a moment, Itachi saw a little of Hiruzen, the Third Hokage in Makarov. They both reacted very similarly under mock provocation. And, they possessed the same protective gaze. Maybe that was universal with every old man. Itachi just had to wait and see.

"I-I am, can I?" She was hiding behind Itachi's legs.

Instead of answering, he looked at Itachi.

"What have you two been through?"

"Her story is not mine to tell." He said as his expression hardened.

"I am not joining, I only wanted to make sure Erza got here safely." The Uchiha said with indifference.

"Is that all?" Makarov chuckled, the stoic mask couldn't fool him. The guild master was too experienced to be fooled or intimidated by stoicism.

"Indeed. When I see to it that she has successfully joined, I will take my leave."

"Where will you go? Joining us would help you in the long run. Money, safety, people to rely on. Guilds provide these things."

"I am used to working alone. The way I do things and the things I want to do will be more easily completed if I am on my own."

"Shame to hear that. We always welcome good people." Makarov said in a not-so-hidden hint.

"Then Erza will fit in well." He pushed Erza before Makarov.

"Erza, why don't you tell me why you want to join."

Makarov smiled and she started explaining her reasons for wanting to join, and for the first time, Itachi now got the full story of what she had gone through. Especially how she lost that eye.

"There isn't much for me to say after a story like that. I think all I can say is..."

Makarov dove behind the table for a second and when he appeared he held something in his hand.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" He said while holding a stamp. The strange thing was that it glowed brightly.

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End

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