(AN) This fic has been dead for over a year now, and to be frank, I had already written a chapter way back but wasn't able to update due to certain reasons. College got stressful, but it is over now so you can expect me to write again. I had completely changed the chapter and wrote it again, and I am going to try and finish this fic for personal landmark. This and one of my other fics has my attention for now.

It's understandable if the fic has lost its appeal, but thanks anyway for reading it up until here. If you don't like the fic or a few characters in general, I can't do much about it.

Thanks to erasenpai946, anonymous, meowhaha, grayshield666, edd17, Fan, Cuando Cap, axl, Angel Winx, tsun, Papu de papus, Hope1616, Drew86419, Hashirama 1710, Dareth, Saisri, Jutten and Guest(x7) for the reviews as always.

I apologize in advance for any typos or mistakes. I am quite rusty at the moment, and wasn't that satisfied with it, but here it is.

Continuing on;

...

Chapter 23: Final Day

"Ugh… never going to drink with that idiot again."

The last Uchiha groaned, as he took slow steps in the direction of his inn. Yesterday's night was a disaster and it is generally said that you learn from your past mistakes, but apparently he did not. Not even after waking up naked the first time he went hallelujah with Naruto. He was pretty sure something had happened then, for he was utterly exhausted and his body felt sore when he woke up.

But, at least this time it was different.

Somewhat. He groaned into his right palm again. He had been greeted with the sight of a peaceful Erza snuggled to his bare chest the previous night. At least he was grateful he had managed to keep his pants on him. But, it still made him wonder though on what actually went down last night.

He remembered fragments here and there, like he had rolled his eyes a lot of times at his best friend, which he unsurprisingly does usually even he's sober. He had wanted to facepalm multiple times at his idiotic teammates, which again wasn't that different from any normal day. After that, it was a blank, no matter how hard he tried to remember.

Well whatever the case was that led to his strange gratifying cuddle, he was definitely not a morning person if even thinking about yesterday was giving him migraines. Probably best if he forgot about it for now.

The chilly morning wind hit his face, as he casually leaned against a ledge, his onyx eyes focused to his front to get a better view of the sun rise. For a minute, or two, he just stared silently at the new buds of sunrays emerging from the fog of clouds, as he was completely occupied with his thoughts.

Today was going to mark the fourth day, as he began thinking about the real mission of why he was here.

Realizing he actually cared for Erza on a far more deeper level was just something he came to realize after arriving here, and he was sure that they were going to try working it out once the games would end. It was also kind of like letting the guild know this on a happy note after they win the games.

He was pretty sure that they would win, even without him, or Naruto being present to participate in the games. The only reason he was still participating was to fish out his pursuers, though he had accidentally stumbled across another jackpot.

The search for the survivors of the Uchiha clan from this world did bore to be fruitful, though it was purely coincidental that he came across three of his clan members. There was a high chance that those were the last of the adherents from this world, but still four survivors sounded a lot good than the last survivor in his head.

He heard few footsteps and uptight whispers before they went silent.

"Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

He had a pretty bored expression as he studied the good ten fifteen guards that gathered around him. A lean man, slightly dressed in a different uniform compared to the knights came forward and bowed his head a little. He was probably their superior.

"The princess is asking for your presence."

A messenger then.

The former Avenger merely raised an eyebrow, straightening his posture and turned towards the man. The guards stilled, not letting their guard down even in the slightest.

"Asked and not demanded?"

"Yes. The princess understands the gravity of the situation and would like to apologize for her minister's actions the other night."

Sasuke merely stayed quiet for a few moments. It seemed like the princess wasn't as foolish as he pegged her to be after all. They realized they couldn't openly attack Fairy Tail at these later stages of the tournament. Not after the recent spurt in the popularity rankings in the grand magic games.

People would notice if something were to happen to the guild. Besides, they couldn't recklessly attack since they could be exposed to the public easily with even a single wrong move. Plus, there was also the hostage situation involving Arcadios and his sergeant.

Nor were they going for the same trick again.

"And, what if I refuse to go with you?" He asked, looking around at the guards that went tense immediately after hearing his words. He could see them gulp and start to sweat, and panic seemed just a ring away. Well, he couldn't blame them. Any sane person would probably steer careful of him. Better away from him and shouldn't bother being involved with him. Not after witnessing his feats in the arena.

"I am afraid I must insist." The messenger pressed on, trying to sound calm.

The teen returned his attention to the fair skinned man, with scruffy black hair. Well, that was a surprise. The man was clearly frightened of him, judging by the way he was sweating and how he was practically shaking where he stood. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. The same went for the knights.

And, yet he was trying to do his duty.

Sasuke let out a tired sigh. He wasn't as cruel as to do something to these guards just for following their duty. Though, he couldn't vouch the same for Hisui. But, his guild could be in trouble if he did something to her, making them enemies to the entire country and he would become a rogue criminal. Again. Not the ideal start he was looking for in his pseudo home.

"You do realize I am part of Fairy Tail team B."

"It's nothing to worry about. Arrangements are being made as we speak. The games will start later than usual. But, if you are worried, we can allow you some time to contact someone to take your place."

"It's alright. We can go right away in a minute." The teen answered, summoning a hawk in a puff of smoke as the guards went alert. The messenger calmed them down having understood what the teen was doing.

The former avenger took a small piece of paper from his pouch, and wrote;

'I am afraid I'll be slightly late, Mira. Tell Naruto and Erza not to worry. And, if I am not back by the time today's events start, I need you to inform the master about this.'

He signed his name at the end, and tied it to the hawk's leg and set it off in their inn direction where team B was staying at.

"Let's go." Sasuke stepped in front of the messenger, before stopping for a moment. He narrowed his eyes, looking at them, "I need to ask something before we head out. Were you people involved when my team was ambushed yesterday?"

"No, none of us are!" The messenger frantically shook his head. "Our princess took appropriate actions on the people involved yesterday."

"Your princess suddenly decided to have a change of heart, huh?" The Uchiha gave an exasperated sigh, before looking back at them. "Well, lead away."

..

Erza slightly fidgeted in her position, rolling over and placing a hand over her eyes to avoid the stagnant rays early in the morning. She then rolled over again, her hand patting her bed beside her, unconsciously searching for the lost warmth.

"You won't find him anywhere if you search like that."

It took a moment for her drowsy brain to fully register what the voice said. Her senses went to high alert as soon as she remembered what happened exactly last night. She immediately opened her eyes and jolted up to see a blonde idiot seated on a chair a few feet from away her bed and grinning at her like a little kid who just found a candy.

"You should have held onto him closer and tighter if you didn't plan on letting him leave," Naruto continued before laughing once again at the expense of the blush that formed on her cheeks.

Okay, not a kid who found a lost candy. Definitely an adult who just found a new stash to keep himself occupied at night. Definitely a perverted adult.

"So, you saw." She whispered, glaring at the blonde and cautiously eyeing her guild mates who were still sleeping soundly.

"Good morning to you too, Erza," the blonde said.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this Naruto. If they knew-"

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Believe it!" Naruto interrupted, reassuring her. He was slightly curious though on why they were hiding it, but he never knew how the bastard's mind worked unless they traded fists with each other.

He watched as she let out a silent sigh of relief and stretched her arms making a yawn. Her words of caution did not match with the idiotic grin and the fresh glow that she held on her face as she threw her sheets aside and began to move towards the bathroom. Maybe, something did happen last night.

"So, you and Sasuke didn't do anything, huh? You know, like the content in the book I lent you?" Naruto voiced his doubt, cackling in amusement immediately as Erza nearly fell because of his question.

After regaining her balance, she immediately turned around glaring and blushing furiously, "Of course not!"

"Could have fooled me with that look on your face." Naruto simply shrugged in response. "I mean, let's see what we have here. A drunken guy, though I admit its Sasuke and we are probably expecting a lot from him. Like seriously. And then, a hot girl that has his fancy and vice versa shared a bed. I mean, even I could see nine out of ten cases something happening here."

"Are you crazy?! Why would we-" Erza stopped herself, dialing her voice down as to not wake her sleeping teammates just so they could join Naruto in his teasing. "Why would we when Wendy is still sleeping right in the next bed? Not to mention, all of you guys were here as well."

"So, you admit something would have happened if you guys were alone." Naruto caught his chin in a thoughtful look. He then grinned, as he ducked a pillow aimed at his head. That pillow could have easily been one of the swords from her pocket dimension. He was lucky that Erza wasn't being her usual self or else he would have been pulverized by now.

An idea struck inside her head, as Erza stopped flailing around and turned to look at the blonde. "Naruto. You know that it is rude to watch someone when they are sleeping. If you don't stop your teasing now, I am afraid that I will have to tell Sasuke that you were watching me while I was asleep. Or, him too for that matter."

The blonde's face immediately paled, as he froze in his position.

"Now, what would Sasuke think of his best friend, not to mention who was freshly wed staring at the sleeping form of his girlfriend?" Erza said, tapping her finger on her chin. "I also wonder how Hinata would feel about you watching as other women slept."

"Please! Anything but that!" The blonde begged as her chocolate eyes looked triumph in return.

'Who said that I always use violence to shut people down?' Erza crossed her arms, before looking over her shoulder at the sight of a defeated blonde, who was shaking in his seat at the implications of her threat. 'Maybe I scared him too much.'

"Now, Naruto. Be a dear and wake others up, will you? I am having a bath, so by the time I return, could you make sure that everyone is ready for today?"

Only she and Sakura could make even their request seem scary, Naruto noted as he dumbly nodded. Even if they asked of them in their sweet voice. Guess he was really lucky to have wed the timid Hyuga, though he wasn't sure what she would do if she knew what sorts of things he was doing here.

But, one thing became clear to him after having his talk with Erza. The red knight called herself as Sasuke's girlfriend.

"Maybe the bastard isn't destined to live all alone after all." He smiled, as he watched the retreating form of Erza, before turning towards his teammates who were sleeping peacefully and seemed to be dreaming about something nice.

Too bad he was ordered by the demon to wake them up.

..

The journey wasn't as time consuming as he thought it would be. In fact, Sasuke was surprised that they weren't heading to the castle but, to a local bar. Well, it made sense, he supposed. The Uchiha was not going to attack Hisui in the public area and portray him and his guild as the conspirators. Plus, it was the ideal setting for any sorts of dealings or negotiations.

The messenger bowed and left the place away with the knights in tow, leaving a confused Sasuke staring at the old wooden door of the bar.

'Well, isn't this freaking hilarious?' His left brow twitched. He drank just yesterday and was already regretting his actions a few minutes back with a severe headache to boot. He had been planning on laying of booze for a while whereas now, fast forward to present, he was setting into a bar the very next day. It was a tavern to be exact though.

Well, whatever he thought.

All the eyes in the room looked up and turned towards the entrance as the wooden double doors creaked open, their suspicious eyes examining the stranger as he walked into the tavern. As he walked across the room, the people in the room continued to stare at him.

The waitress and female servers blushed as they glanced at his face, taken aback by his handsome features, but he paid no attention to them as he found what he was looking for. He found the princess sitting in the corner, just as the messenger had specified. As he walked up to the table, he noticed a hooded man with the same dragon pattern that he had observed a few days back.

He was already cautious anyway, but that put him on an alert. They were the same people that had ordered Wendy's kidnapping which Natsu and he had managed to evade.

He slid into the wooden chair, opposite of the princess, who had a dark blue hood of her own covering her face and very light jewelry and make up on her face. Made it seem like she belonged to a noble family that recently lost its wealth or something.

Casting another glance at the individual who was hooded by the wall, he turned his attention back to the princess.

"I never expected royalty such as yourself to attend a local tavern." He stated in a bored tone, leaning a bit back in the chair once the crowd started buzzing again like usual. "Not when it is almost time for your plan to be implemented."

He was slightly amused when he observed her slightly wince at his words.

"I know you must be thinking all I am doing right now is foolish and all."

"I am not assuming. It is foolish."

The green haired princess glared as her cheeks reddened. Sasuke assumed a nonchalant look in response as she continued glaring for a moment before she slipped into a neutral expression with a small huff.

"I am assuming that's your guard? Makes sense. You do need to have protection after all." He changed the subject, considering the man standing in the corner.

"It is. We never know when my enemies could attack me. Since I am afraid magic has cast its gaze away from me and just learning how to use a sword could be frugal when your enemy could be a wizard."

"Learning how to wield a weapon does have its merits, wizard or not." Sasuke stated. The word wizard still felt a bit foreign while rolling of his tongue. His face went grave again. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Hisui regained the color in her cheeks, as she sat with a serious expression as she got back to why she had Sasuke summoned in the first place. "Uchiha-san. I believe I have something that might interest you," she motioned as the person who had been observing them till now, moved towards the table and slipped an item covered by a brown cloth into the Uchiha's hands.

Before he could question regarding what it was, food arrived at their table. The guard sat down beside Hisui and diagonal to Sasuke and started getting into his food. The princess also took a bite from the plate in front of her, but Sasuke wasn't surprised much. The princess had reputation of mingling with the masses on occasion to learn more about her kingdom. It was good that she was trying to be a good ruler, but she was making enemies out of wrong people.

He slowly removed the cloth, partially peeking into it to see a purple colored scroll tied up with a red lace. His eyes widened, showing surprise on his face. It was because of the damned symbol on the scroll which he recognized instantly.

The symbol that he believed to be associated to the Otsusuki clan.

He had spent two years trying to search for clues regarding it after all. He was taken back, to the time when he was still questioning his purpose in the elemental nations right after the war was over. When he still contained doubts.

He had envisioned a future, where the countries would live without war like how it was here. Where mere children weren't sent out to battle grounds. For the very reason, he set out on his journey of atonement where he met Erza along the way. One could say he got sidetracked in a way with his journey here to the EarthLand. It seemed like he could not ignore the problem anymore.

Otsusuki Kaguya.

According to Black Zetsu, who worked behind the scenes for Kaguya, she had supposedly created white zetsus from the populace she casted the previous infinite Tsukuyomi on. Zetsu had told them that she needed the shinobi turned, to turn them into Kaguya's soldiers.

When the fighting was supposed to have ceased with the moon's illusion, why did she need the soldiers under Infinite Tsukuyomi to fight again?

There was one possibility that those having power liked to brutally dominate others. But, it wasn't a clear answer. To clear away the doubts, he had set of on his journey two years ago and found some clues regarding Kaguya's dimension.

The scroll… he had been trying to find it everywhere in the elemental nations but to no avail. The scroll being here meant… Was this place also-

"Hey!" He was shook of his stupor by the annoying voice which he vaguely recognized. The guard motioned to the food lying in front of the Uchiha. "The food. Are you going to eat it or not? It is going cold."

The Uchiha blinked, before shaking his head. "Feel free."

"Yay! More food for me!" The guard took the plate from him, and began digging into it, paying no heed to his surroundings nor his manners.

Sasuke put the scroll away, looking back at the princess with a stern glare. "Where did you find this?"

The guard scowled, "Hey now! No need to be rude to the princess now."

"Shut up. I wasn't talking to you."

"Why you-"

"It's alright," The green haired female put up her hand at the guard, who scowled away and began digging into the food with frustration but did not stop eating though. Sasuke would have commented something on it, but his mind was far too distracted and only focused on the scroll.

"So?"

"I was hoping you could tell us what it is," Hisui admitted with a defeated expression, as Sasuke found no signs of deception from her. She was honestly clueless regarding the scroll it seemed.

"Where did you find it?"

"I can answer that. But, only on one condition."

"You really think you are in a position to demand?" The Uchiha's hold on the cloth tightened. "You don't know half of what that scroll being here means."

"No, but I was hoping you would listen to a favor of mine in exchange for this information." The princess spoke with clear determination in her eyes. She seemed stubborn. "I realize you can probably wriggle answers out of me, but that is why I have brought a guard who can handle illusions well."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that and eyed the hooded guy who was still eating without paying any attention to the conversation, and then back at her. He doubted what he could do, but oh well.

"Fine. What is the favor you are asking for?"

"I would like my commander and his sergeant be released back to us. It's because-"

"Alright." The raven closed his eyes, as Hisui's eyes widened a bit. He could bet she was surprised he was accepting her terms without much persuasion. The truth was he wasn't in a mood to hear to her reasons, no not after finding about the scroll in his hand. "The details and everything you found regarding this scroll."

"O-Oh, yeah." Hisui gave a hesitant nod, probably still surprised at how smooth this was going on. She took out a ball of crystal covered partially by a blue cloth and a book, handing them to him. "The book contains all the information we have. And, the crystal will guide you to the place where we found it."

He got up from his seat, gathering them before casting one last glance at the guard and Hisui. "I don't think I have to tell you this. But, do not speak about this scroll anywhere."

"Is it that bad?" She had a concerned expression, but understood from the silence the Uchiha wasn't going to answer her question. "Yes. I understand, Uchiha-san."

"Hn." The avenger nodded at her one last time, and looked at her guard. The hooded guy looked up at him as well, maintaining contact with him. Both didn't say anything for a few moments, before they broke the eye contact and Sasuke went along his way and the hooded guy got back to his food.

Sasuke stepped out of the tavern, letting out a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. What should he do now? Go and find clues regarding Kaguya now that he finally got a lead after so long? Or, continue searching for the clues after he resolved the current situation in the capital?

Kaguya was a huge threat, no doubt but the situation regarding the Uchiha survivors, the dragon king festival, Achnologia- those needed his immediate concern at the moment. There was a chance that his guild and the people of the city could get drawn into whatever that had been brewing in the shadows till now.

The sound of a firework blasting in the sky caught his attention, as he turned towards the biggest construct in the city. He continued staring at the fireworks, and he could hear the distant buzz erupting from the crowd. A small smirk made his way to the lips as he closed his eyes and continued walking in the direction of the arena.

'Hn, well seems like I already made my mind.'

..

(GMG Arena);

"[July 6th, the fourth and the final day of the grand magic games!]" The commentator shouted, crowd even more pumped up than usual, perhaps due to a sudden break from the festive. "[Due to some unfortunate incidents that took place in the city as well as on the previous day of the games, the crown has decided to cut short the tourney by a day. But, don't let this get you, folks! Today's battles are going to dwarf all of the previous days! That much I can promise!]"

The crowd roared as the commentator was pleased with how the crowd reacted. He would have thought that crowd would protest against such a thing, but the promise of bigger things to come seemed to have appeased them.

"[So, it's here, folks! The final day of the wizards' passionate festival!]"

Two of the participants begged to differ, but could not say anything as the cheers drowned them.

"[Like it, or not, only one guild is going to be victorious today!]" The commentator stated, turning towards the camera. "[I am your favorite emcee, Chapati and next to me is former council member, Yajima-san.]"

"Good to be here."

"[Today's special guest is the mascot of the grand magic games, Matou-kun!]"

The pumpkin head waved his hand to the crowd. Chapati turned towards him, "[Are you sure there's no need for you act as a judge today, Matou-kun?]"

"Its fine, Kabo!" He said, turning his head to look at the den from which teams emerged. "Now, the teams are going to take the field, Kabo! Let us have a look at the standings first before calling them out."

Fairy Tail team B – 40 points

Fairy Tail team A – 27 points

Sabertooth – 35 points

Blue Pegasus – 17 points

Quadra Puppies – 14 points

Mermaid Heel – 32 points

Lamia Scale – 33 points

- Raven Tail – 33 points(disqualified)

Somewhere deep inside a particular den, Fairy Tail team B was waiting patiently for their name to be called out.

"So, this is it, huh?" Gajeel asked, keeping his gaze fixed to the front, a solemn yet serious look on his face.

"I guess so," Mira answered. "Seems like Raven Tail's expulsion really hit the crown hard. I won't be surprised if the magic council's pushing for this tournament to end quickly."

"I would say they'll deserve it if it were to happen." Laxus spoke up from his position against the wall. "Not only did they allow a dark guild to enter into a wizard's tournament, but I also doubt that they were somehow involved in the kidnapping attempt of Wendy."

"I wish I could have taught them a lesson." Gajeel muttered, annoyed by remembering those details. To say exactly, he was more annoyed at himself for ever having worked with that sleazebag of a master of Raven Tail in the first place.

"Anyway, it is all in the past." Mira smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "And, not to mention we are in the first place as of now."

Gajeel blinked at that. "Woah… Really?!"

"Don't tell me you realized that only just now," Mira pouted, placing her hands over her hips causing the two dragon slayers to avert their heads. "And, here I thought you of all people would be most happy, seeing as you rambled on about that idiotic bet since day one."

"Oh, that!" Gajeel exclaimed, a grin forming on his face as he pumped his fists in anticipation. "They say today might be a team battle as it is the final day of the games. Salamander is going to be pissed at having missed an opportunity to fight."

Mira only shook her head at Gajeel's snickering. "Well, master had to forcibly put him down yesterday. But, thanks to that and Lucy taking care of him, he should be able to participate today. Though, unfortunately Lucy missed out."

A roar of crowd was heard, as the trio turned their heads towards the entrance.

"I think they have begun calling the teams out by their ranks." Laxus said, crossing his arms.

"That is all fine, but…" Gajeel stopped himself for a moment staring at Mira and Laxus, before he suddenly yelled furiously, "Where the heck are Juvia and Sasuke?! Why is it taking them so long to quench their thirst!?"

"I'll go and take a look." Mira smiled, taking off immediately before Gajeel could. She ran across few corridors before she caught sight of Sasuke and Juvia standing near a wending machine. Only their backs were visible to her, so she moved towards them, and opened her mouth to call but halted when she noticed a certain blonde standing in front of them, who looked like he was talking something serious.

Curious as to what was going on, she moved forward until she could hear him speak.

"So, the miso ramen I had the other day was nothing compared to the Ichiraku's miso ramen."

"Is it really true, Naruto-sama?"

"Yes, Juvia. I think you should come to Konoha one day and try it for yourself."

"I think Juvia would like that."

"Oh, Naruto. Stop pestering her about ramen. Not everyone is a fan of it."

"You say that Sasuke, but I know you like miso ramen topped with tomato slices all over."

"I wouldn't say I like it. It's at least tolerable that way."

"Oh, shut up teme! You know nothing about ramen!"

"Hey guys…" Juvia smiled nervously, as Naruto went full on Sasuke explaining to him why ramen was treated as the food of gods. To say she was now being ignored was an understatement.

Naruto did stop rambling about ramen though once he sensed a danger to his life as he felt a looming presence behind Sasuke. Sasuke too had noticed and turned back to come face to face with a smiling Mira.

There was something terrifying behind her smile, they unilaterally agreed.

"Are you guys finished yet?"

"I apologize, Mira."

"Juvia is sorry too."

"…H-Hey Mira!" Naruto waved his arm nervously as Sasuke and Juvia walked past her and left him alone with the white haired mage. Mira moved few steps forward as Naruto instinctively closed his eyes, a response that he got so used after being with Sakura for many years.

But, to his surprise, Mira was smiling warmly this time when he opened his eyes due to not having felt any impact on his skull.

"So, the hero who saved the world is really goofy and fun just like our Natsu, I see." Mira said, as Naruto was only confused by her response. She noticed his confusion and giggled, "Erza told about you."

"She did, huh?"

"I would really like to see you in action today, Naruto-kun." Mira said, her smile never dropping off her face.

"I guess then you'll have to find it on the battle field today." Naruto smirked. "But, mind you. I won't be going easy on you guys at all."

"Then you better get going. Your team has already been called and I don't think I have to say what would happen if you keep Erza waiting for too long."

"R-Right!" Naruto bid her a goodbye and immediately took off, as Mira slowly walked back to her team, giggling to herself for some reason.

..

"[The team that has been full of surprises and currently the team that stands first on the table - Fairy Tail Team B!]"

Gajeel walked ahead, leading them as Sasuke and Laxus walked at the complete back of the group. A lot of roars, claps and squealing was heard as they took their guard with the rest of the teams that had already arrived.

Once again, all the teams were reintroduced amidst the roars that nearly shook the entire arena. The cheers were loudest in particular for the Sabertooth guild.

"Looks like it won't be that easy to bring down Sabertooth after all." Gajeel grumbled, looking at the whole Sabertooth team in general.

"They are crowd favorites and the reigning champions in the games after all," Mira tried to sooth Gajeel's frustration. "But, it doesn't change the fact that both our teams have started to become crowd favorites as well. Quite in contrast to the first day, don't you agree?"

"Mira is right. We just have to thrash them even further if we are to become the champions." Laxus said, eyeing a particular bulky mage in the group.

"Juvia thinks so too." Juvia agreed.

"Yeah, but right now Sabertooth isn't our only enemy. There are other teams too, not to mention Fairy Tail A team where Natsu is back, and Naruto in participating in place of Lucy." Gajeel said, thinking on the bet that their master proposed. "I am so looking forward to the day when I have Natsu and the rest respond and do as I say. I am sure a certain someone here is looking forward to it just as me. Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

Not receiving any answer from the stoic Uchiha, Gajeel turned to see him absorbed in something else entirely.

"Um, Sasuke?" Mira tugged him, causing him to blink before turning around to look at his team staring at him weirdly. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, sorry. I was busy thinking on something else," Sasuke turned to look at them. "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing of relevance." Gajeel said, waving him off.

Sasuke stayed quiet as his group got back to talking again, before turning to look at the new figure that was present with the Sabertooth guild. He still wasn't able to believe what he was seeing. 'What in the world is going on?'

Opposite to him, with his heightened and hawk like vision, he was able to spot a particular bastard's sister standing in with Sabertooth team members in their dugout.

He was keenly observing her as his teammate beside him was getting restless.

Gajeel's cracked his knuckles as he turned towards his group. "I don't know about you guys, but for the last few days, all I have been really doing is drinking and resting. I am going to fully enjoy this slug fest."

The rest of the team responded in some way to Gajeel's declaration, except the former Avenger, Mira noted. She noticed that Sasuke's head wasn't really into this.

"Woah! I really can't believe how big this arena is!"

Listening to some really boisterous and loud voice from the middle of arena, they turned towards the ring to see an enthusiastic Naruto looking around alongside Erza, who was talking to Natsu and Gray, who was embarrassed by Naruto's antics.

Gray was probably cursing his luck, or something along the lines from being finally free from Natsu for a day only for Natsu to be back and Naruto adding to the list judging by his reaction.

"I see. So, that's why." Mira smiled looking at Sasuke.

But, unknown to them, that wasn't the reason why he was so distracted. His eyes were locked onto a certain raven haired woman that stood a few feet away from him with Sting and Rufus. He could see she was doing her best to ignore his pointed stare.

"Okay, that's enough of chit chat for now!" The pumpkin head spoke in the mic. "Today is about survival, a game in which everyone participates!"

A huge light encompassed the arena without any warning, and took to the sands around the participants before they vanished with puzzled and perplexed expressions. Huge screens were immediately created for the crowd to see as an artificial place had already been created, where each team was teleported just like the hidden game.

"[Participants can go all out, as this place has been created with magic in a remote location. We also have our medics and response team on standby, so I don't think fatal injuries are an issue today.]"

"Teams are already scattered and assigned an area, I see." Yajima commented, looking at Jura talk to his team on a screen.

"[This is team play at its best. The teams will have to maintain a good balance between offense and defense since this isn't a typical survival game.]" All the teams were shown in their respective assigned positions on the large screen. "[If an opponent loses conscious, or becomes unable to fight, the other side will gain one point. If they are able to destroy the crystal that is at the helm of each location, they gain five points. This is like defend the hill.]"

"That means a team can gain a maximum of 60 points, isn't that right?" Yajima asked.

"Yes. Although, guilds don't know the crystal positions of other guilds other than theirs. The crystal can't be broken that easily, since we have used the hardest and finest materials we could find." Mato gloated.

"I wouldn't say the crystal can't be moved, but good luck carrying around such huge chunk of crystal. Let the games begin!"

A/N: As you can observe, I never intended to follow the cannon for the GMG arc save few events. You can probably already notice many differences, and this battle will be interesting to cover as there are a few restrictions on Sasuke and Naruto that will be revealed in the next chapter. It's not an on spot reason as my previous chapters lead up to the restriction. Also, Naruto will probably be featuring only in this arc and it will be solely Sasuke again for the final one after this.

Regarding my other fic, it's the same story as this. I already had a chapter written up, but I am considering on rewriting it again. You can expect an update for that soon.

ReadxReview.

Until then, later!