Young Goku and Erza walked through the forest the boat had left them by. It had been nearly a day since they had arrived and they were currently trying to find some sense of civilization. There were many wild bushes and plants growing about with thick clusters of trees. Clusters being the operative word as there were many spots where the tree canopy would part and allow sun in. Not too long ago her friend claimed he caught the scent of something cooking but that was hours previous and she was beginning to doubt him. Both of them looked up into the sky when the faint sound of thunder ripped through the air.

"Goku, it looks like it's going to rain. We need to find someplace to get out of the rain or we could get sick."

"You're right Erza but I'm telling you we're getting really close. If we can find whoever's cooking before it rains then they might share some of their food with us." Oh-right, she had forgot he was still on the subject of food. He sniffed the air again for the smell he had been tracking. It took more sniffs then he would have admitted, the approaching rain was screwing with his sense of smell. "There!" He said suddenly before breaking off into a sprint.

Erza had to run full speed just so she would lose her energetic partner. She didn't know where he got all of his energy from but some times she wished she too had access to the source. She had been more or less exhausted from traveling all day and night, so it was no surprise when she lost sight of the boy shortly after his sudden burst of speed. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to run faster. She barreled through what look like a wall of foliage before crashing into something tough and hard. She had collapsed to the ground and started to hold her forehead to try and numb the pain.

"Oh, hey Erza." She cracked her eye and saw that Goku was standing in front of her. He was looking at her from over his shoulder and seemed totally oblivious to her pain. She merely scolded him for his nonchalant attitude, whether it worked or not was debatable. He quickly turned around and helped her up from the ground and waited for her to dust herself off. "I think I found the place we were looking for." Erza's eyes lit up in excitement, had the half brain really found Fairy Tail?

"You mean..." She let herself trail off.

"Yeah, the place that was cooking the food." He grinned to his friend, unaware of how let down she'd become. He hadn't found what they were looking for. He had found what he was looking for. She sighed before looking past her friend and staring at the place he spoke of.

A peculiar place it was, a massive tree in the center of a large clearing. It had a large thick tree trunk that lead up to a massive canopy. It's huge branches had random patches of leaves that would make bushes envious. A faint flicker of orange light caught the attention of the scarlet haired girl. It was only when she payed the base of the tree more attention did she realize something. There were windows built into the tree but who would put windows in a tree?

"Someone's living in there." She said quietly to herself but she had forgotten about her companion's elevated hearing.

"You think so?" He made no attempt to hide how eager he was. He had been smelling the food for some time and was eager to get something in his stomach.

"Yeah but we have to be careful. We can't just-Goku!" The boy had seemingly stopped listening once she reaffirmed her suspicions. His had had done a dance between looking at her and the tree before he took action. He sprung forth like a bullet on his way towards the house. Erza's words had no effect on the boy, so she was forced to chase after him and try to lessen any damage his reckless actions might of caused.

Goku reached the tree in seconds after breaking away from Erza. There he could smell it so much better than before. Different spices and the smell of freshly cooked meat wafted into his nose. His mouth was practically a tsunami of saliva itching for a taste of whatever delicacies the tree held. He circled around the tree before finding the door. It was an old wooden one with intricate woodworking that visually reminded him of plant life. He did hesitate to knock on the door and announce their presence.

"Hello! Can we have some food!" The sound of shuffling echoed from with in the house. Then a strong pair of arms wrapped around his mouth and waist.

"Goku! What the heck are you doing?!" She whispered/yelled at her idiotic friend.

"I'm asking for food, we are hungry aren't we?"

"No numb nuts! You can't just go up to a random house you find in the woods and knock, begging for food!" She growled out to him.

"Why not?"

"For one, what if she's a witch?! Did you think of that?!" Goku frowned at his friend's bold claim.

"Aw come on Erza, we both no those are just stories-" The door clicked, signifying the lock being undone, before quickly swinging open. There stood an aging women. Her hair was bright pink and her face was contorted into a scowl. Goku instantly back peddled from the old woman and fell on his rear. "Gah! She is a witch!"

"You little snot nosed brat." The old woman muttered to herself while staring at the child on his rear in the mud. It seems it had started to rain after all. "I don't know who you children are but scram! I don't need anymore trouble makers on my doorstep."

"Oh Porlyusica, don't be that way to them. They're just children after all, besides. Are you really going to turn them away while it's raining outside?" The woman stepped to the side and peered back into the house. There was a man inside, possibly older than her, and he wore some sort of ridiculous attire.

"No. Why should I care if these disrespectful runts catch a cold?" She scowled at the man inside her house.

"Porlyusica, I promise to take responsibility for them. Should they cause any trouble, you can hold me accountable." He stared back at her and was not phased in the slightest of ways by her dark expression. He didn't have it in his heart to turn them away in a time of need. He also knew that she didn't either and that she was just being stubborn. "Porlyusica, we both know the storm is going to get heavier-we can't leave them out there in the cold." The woman locked eyes with him for a minute, the only sound in the deathly silence were rain drops.

"Okay... but come tomorrow morning you're all out of here, the lot of you!" She added, making sure her displeasure at the situation was known to all involved. She turned around and looked to the two children in the rain. The red headed girl was intelligent enough to stay close to the tree were most of the rain drops failed to reach her. The boy, however, was not as bright and was sitting in the same spot he fell in-the rain starting to coat his clothes. "Alright, hurry up. Get in, get in before you get soaked and ruin my floors."

The two children didn't need any further encouragement. Erza made it inside first and quickly found herself stepping to the side. Goku had followed in quickly after her and would have ran into her if not for her moment of foresight. The boy took his ignorance of mannerisms to new extremes when he shook himself like a dog. It had flicked water all over her, ruining her attempts to stay dry. She couldn't scold or lecture him though, they day was long and any fights might get them booted out of their sanctuary. She turned to the old woman who had allowed them in her house.

"Thank you very much for helping us. I hope we're not troubling you at all."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't know what we would have done without your help." Goku added to her thanking of them, much to her surprise. The boy was always so radical from one moment to the next-impossible to predict. Then the house shook and rumbled. The two elderly in the house looked around in shock, their area wasn't prone to Earthquakes as far as the knew.

"Heh, sorry. That's my tummy-I'm kind of hungry." Goku admitted sheepishly. For some reason his stomach always had a way of ruining calm moments. The woman raised an eye brow at the child's claim. Surely he was jesting when he suggested his stomach be capable of shaking an entire house. She would have lectured him on the importance of not lying over such things but her nose wrinkled up and he hands covered her face.

"Dear lord, you children smell awful. What have you been playing in the trash or something?"

"No... not that I know of..." Goku told her, confused at what she was getting at.

"Haven't you ever heard of a bath?" The boy merely shook his head in response, shocking the old lady. "What? Where have you been all your life?"

"With our Grandpa." Goku admitted, not mentioning the tower. How would he even know the place was important?

"Then why aren't you staying with him." Goku didn't answer, he just looked away from them. His wild hair made for good interference as he didn't want to look at anyone. The woman seemed to realize what their reason was for not being with. A grim expression spread across her face before it melted into one of tiredness. "Fine, you can use the bathroom to bathe. It's in the living room then to the right."

The boy and girl nodded at her instructions. The mood had been sullied at the mention of their late father figure. At least they could use the bath, which they were somewhat grateful for. The two of them both made to head for the bath. The only reason they didn't make it there is because of the two elderly people intervening.

"Wait, you're both going to bath together?" The woman asked in clear confusion.

"Yes." Erza answered.

"Why, is something wrong?" Goku asked the old woman innocently. Neither he nor Erza had a clue of how inappropriate it was. Then again, when one is raised in a place like the Tower of Heaven-it shouldn't be of any surprise that basic rules in society mean nothing to them. The old woman said nothing, opting to stare at the two with a dumbfounded expression. The older man just shook his head and tried his best to hold in chuckles. The two children, having tired of waiting, turned and resumed their way to the bathroom to clean themselves.

"The boy... He seems... familiar..." The old man said to the woman, Porlyusica.

"Oh? So you know the little brat then?" Porlyusica couldn't prevent the suspicion from creeping into her eyes. It would not have been the first time he had tricked her into helping kids he had plans for.

"No but I feel like I should..." He turned his head to look towards the bathroom door in thought. "I don't know what it is but-""Goku stop sliding around on the soap! We need that!" The young girl's voice seemed to rattle the door. It was followed by several thumbs and a groan of pain from inside the room."Wait, Goku... Yes, I remember now! He's Rob's adopted grandson." He nodded to himself, glad that his aging memory hadn't forgotten something so important."What? The boy? You mean he's the baby that Rob found all those years ago?""It has to be him, the only thing missing is the tail Rob said he had." He put a hand up to his chin. "Other than that, he's completely identical to what Rob said... Rob..." The man found his head hung as a recent moment played in his mind. The boy had insinuated his grandfather was dead but... Rob surely couldn't be dead... could he?

"It's okay..." He heard Porlyusica's voice tell him, Rob was a friend to both of them. If what the boy hinted at was true then... well they'd rather not say. "I'm going to attend to her eye."

"Her eye?"

"Yes, Makarov-surely you haven't dulled that much since aging. She's missing an eye."

"Ah... Yes, that would be a good idea... and I can take the boy and teach him to use magic." A sigh reached him from Porlyusica.

"I swear, it seems you're always looking for people to join Fairy Tail. It's like the only thing on your mind anymore."

"Oh don't be like that Porlyusica. You know how much the guild means to me. Besides, I'm still here visiting you after all." He cracked a smile at her, which somehow managed to pull one out of her as well.

"Yeah you are... but you and the brat better be gone first thing in the morning! I'm tired of helping you good for nothings!" She had returned to her hardened exterior again. Makarov could help the giggle that escaped him.

"Yes, yes-no need to worry Porlyusica. We'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"Good... and you'll be taking the girl the moment her eye is well."

"Not a problem."It took some time for the two children to finish bathing themselves. When they had come out, they were wearing the same filthy rags they had shown up in. Fortunately, before Porlyusica could spot them doing so-Makarov had intervened. Brand new clothes for the both of them, something that excited the children more than it should have. Goku had been given a pair of black shorts with a shirt to match and the girl had been given dark blue pants with a white blouse. Why the clothes were on hand was never questioned.

"Thank you, for everything. The bath, shelter, and clean clothes." Erza thanked the elder gentlemen.

"Think nothing of it young lady. My name is Makarov by the way and yours?"

"Erza." Makarov turned his head to Goku, who was in the kitchen and pestering poor Porlyusica-who couldn't scare him off with a glare to save her life, at least not while he was hungry.

"... and he must be Goku, yes?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"How did you-"

"Calm yourself, I heard you shouting at him earlier. You not as quiet as you think."

"Oh, yes... of course..." Erza left immediately after to pull Goku away from the lady before she clomped him with a broom she had been waving at the boy. Even so, Makarov continued to stare at her as she disappeared from view. Her attitude has changed so quickly and she was very defensive for some reason. These things weren't natural but Makarov couldn't pry her for the information, it would only scare her away and with Rob's grandson in tow-he couldn't risk such a thing.

None of them had to wait long before food was prepared. The sky had darkened considerably since their arrival and the storm outside showed no sign of weakening. It looked like they would be staying the night with them after all. They crowded around the table and quickly took to eating and conversing. The girl had been weary of the food at first but her friend hadn't given it a second thought, digging in like an animal. The food tasted marvelous and even Erza soon found herself enjoying it.

"Excuse me but I don't think you told Porlyusica your name young lady. Would you care to do the honors?" She stopped mid bite, a rather unappealing position to freeze in but the one she stopped in none the less.

"Oh, I'm Erza and this is Goku." She patted her friend on his shoulder, who had also stopped his ravaging of the food to listen. "It's nice to meet you Miss Porlyusica... and you too Mister Makarov." The old lady-Porlyusica-had stared uninterested in her introduction. What was Makarov up to this time?

"It's a pleasure to have you here Erza and you too Goku." He nodded to both of them. "We were thinking about what you had told us, how your grand father had died. We would like to make you an offer children."

"We?" Porlyusica said.

"If you don't have somewhere to go, I would like to take you under my wing." The boy swallowed an impossibly large mouth full of food before saying his first lines of the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm a very old man but I'm also a mage-"

"No way!" Goku shouted, slamming his hands on the table and leaning forward.

"Yes way and I can tell from sensing the magical energy coming off of you that you have enormous amounts of potential-both of you." He let out a breath of air, had he really been talking for so long? "I'd like to take you into my guild, Erza and Goku." The two children were silent for a moment, Goku in awe of the offer and Erza considering it.

"No." Erza spoke first and for the both of them.

"Well, it's so sad to see you won't but I can't force you do so. What about you Goku?"

"Well-"

"No." Erza repeated her answer firmly. Makarov raised an eyebrow at her behavior.

"Erza, you already said you wouldn't join-no please let Goku give his answer-"

"I said no!" She practically yelled at the man. He just stared at her in confusion for she had been acting just fine not even ten minutes ago.

"Erza, why are you so insistent on speaking for him. I'm sure he can make decisions on his own." Makarov told her.

"It's not that..." She looked away from him and refused to meet anyone's gaze. "We made a promise to our grandpa... that'd we join only one guild when we got away..." She took a moment to recompose herself before bringing her gaze back to the old man. Her resolve was stronger now that she'd locked those unwanted emotions away. "We're going to join Fairy Tail and that's that. No other guild... it's what grandpa would've wanted..." The last part she had murmured to herself.

"Heh, ha!" Laughter burst out from the older man when he heard her declaration. Wow, he had sure hit the jackpot with those two kids. He slowly willed his laughter back down until he could speak properly. "It's funny that you should mention that because I happen to know of the guild."

"Wait, you do?" Erza's attitude had done a complete flip in that moment.

"Yes, in fact I'm close friends with the head master of it."

"Really? No way!" Goku was back at it again, practically half way across the table in amazement.

"Please, you have to tell us where to find him." Erza pleaded with the elder man-silently regretting her outburst prior.

"Makarov, stop toying with them already." Porlyusica said from her seat beside him. The children were creating a mess on the table with how emotional they were becoming.

"Oh, I never get to have any fun around you." He grumbled before sighing. "Allow me to introduce you to Makarov Dreyar-Head Master of Fairy Tail!" He announced, shocking both of the children into silence.

"Y... You're the... the Head Master of Fairy Tail?!" Erza couldn't believe it! They had somehow managed to stumble upon the guild master of their grand father's guild...

xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx

The following day had seen a break in the whether. The once cloudy and angry looking skies had parted for rays of sunlight to glisten through. Dark gray clouds that had once coated the sky had decided to resemble the patch work like forest. If there was ever a better time to make for Magnolia, then it was now. The boy, Goku, and the old man, Makarov, had set off on the journey not too long ago. If they wanted to reach their destination dry then they couldn't afford any pit stops along the way. Goku had no trouble keeping up with the old man's quick pace, he felt brand new thanks to the meal Porlyusica had cooked him.

The tree leaves and grass were shining with fresh rain drops. The dirt had become packed tight into mud from the water. The rocks looked polished and everything smelt fresh. Goku enjoyed every last bit of their journey since leaving. Makarov couldn't say it was unpleasant either but they still had quite the distance until the reached Magnolia and he still had plenty of questions for the young boy. He wasn't lying when he said he felt the immense potential he contained the night before but something was off... different...

"Hey, kid. Did you grandpa ever teach you how to use magic?" Makarov was honestly surprised he hadn't asked the question previously. He had just assumed the boy had a natural affinity for learning it. What kind of mage would he be if he didn't even know how to use his own magic?

"Magic... No, not that I remember. He never really brought it up but he did teach my a lot of cool moves. He taught me a lot of things about fighting and stuff."

"Goku, do you know that Fairy Tail is a magician's guild-right? If you can't use magic then you couldn't join even I wanted you to."

"Oh..." The boy looked to the ground while continuing their walk. "Then what am I gonna do? Being in Fairy Tail is kind of my dream..."

"Don't worry boy, I'll teach you how to use magic-or at least the basics. Every wizard must carve their own way but that doesn't mean they can't get help." He smiled when he saw the boy's face light up.

"Really? You'll really do that for me?" Makarov just nodded in affirmation to the boy's question. "Wow! You're amazing!" In truth, Makarov had already planned on letting the boy in. It was the least he could do for his late friend. It was all merely a test for the boy, to see his reaction at rejection-especially of something so important to him.

"You know, I never asked how old you an Erza are."

"She's a year older than me, grandpa said so."

"Oh? Then how old are you?"

"I'm ten, that makes her fourteen if you're wondering!" Makarov felt his brows scrunch in confusion.

"Fourteen... Goku, if she was one year older then there's no way she can be fourteen-that'd make her eleven." He explained as he watched the boy.

"Oh, my bad! I never was good with numbers." Despite knowing of his goof up, the boy didn't seemed the least bit embarrassed.

"Goku, didn't Rob ever teach you how to count?"

"Well yeah but I haven't had to count in a long time..." Goku muttered to himself before a flash of realization shot across his face. "Wait, how do you know my Grandpa's name?!" Goku stopped walking and took a defensive stance. He never told him the name and he was darn sure Erza didn't either. The man simply blinked once Goku announced his slip up.

"Did I really say that? Hm, I must be slipping in my old age..." He said to himself before turning to acknowledge the boy's concerns. "Don't be foolish kid, if I really wanted to harm you-then don't you think I would have done it while you slept?"

"Ha! Nice try! Me and Erza take turns sleeping!" Makarov froze when he was told that. Just what kind of child hood did the boy and girl have? Maybe they were just suspicious of new comers.

"In either case, I know your grandpa because me and him were good friends. He disappeared some time ago but I guess now know why." Makarov fell into thought and left Goku on the outside in silence. The boy perceived it as the man mourning his friend.

"Oh... sorry..."

"For what?"

"Um, making you sad?"

"Dear boy, it isn't you that made me sad. I'll be fine I was just... surprised to learn what became of him." Makarov quickly shifted the mood from solemn to upbeat. There was no use crying over it, it happened and things were the way they were-best to move forward. Speaking of moving forward, he was curious what the boy knew of Fairy Tail as well. He hoped the Rob hadn't skipped on educating him about that. "Goku, tell me what you know about Fairy Tail and being a mage."

"My grandpa told me that a mage uses magic to do things and help people. He said Fairy Tail is a group of them that's like a family." Makarov nodded his head while the boy was talking. It looked like Rob had educated him on the basics of what a wizard/mage is but not too much on anything else. What the blasted was the man doing with Goku?

"While that's mostly correct, the proper name is wizard Goku. More importantly, Fairy Tail is a guild which is a place where a bunch of wizards work together. Finally, Fairy Tail isn't like a family-it is a family. We may not be related by blood but we always stick together and defend one another." He told the boy, who blinked owlishly at his claims.

"Oh. I'll try to remember that." He grinned at the old man and started rubbing his nose, an odd quirk he'd picked up long ago.

The journey was longer than expected for them. It took them two whole hours just to leave the forest. By the time they had reached the town of Magnolia, the clouds were beginning to thicken again. Makarov had insisted they pick up the pace to reach the guild hall before the rain continued. Unfortunately, the young boy had never seen the wonders that littered a city. Large structures, pretty items and signs, along with so many people! The guild master had to practically drag the boy from the market area that held different seasoned meats.

"Here we are, Fairy Tail." The old man announced. Before him stood a larger three story building decorated in a variety of colors. Red tiles on the roof, beige walls that reflected light like gold, with orange and green shutters over the windows. It was the strangest building Goku had ever seen. If Fairy Tail was as cool as the building was random then he wouldn't have it any other way. Makarov lead the way into the guild and allowed the young boy to follow."Welcome master! How was your trip to Porlyusica's? Was she still sour as always?" A man with blue hair asked Makarov. He didn't actually wait for the guild master to answer when he spotted the boy beside his master. "Wait, who's the kid?"

"Porlyusica was bitter as always but I get the feeling she's warming up to me." The comment caused a smile to crack on the blue haired man's face. As if she would ever warm up to anyone. "As for the child, this is the grandson of dear friend of mine. Why don't you introduce yourself?" He nudged Goku forward, who was reluctant due to the large amount of stares that were starting to be directed towards their conversation.

"Um, hi. My name's Son Goku and I'm here to join Fairy Tail!"

"Hey master! If you're letting him join then does that mean he's strong?" A boy ran up to them asking in curiosity. His eyes were very abnormal for someone. Makarov wasn't the one to answer him as Goku to the question as a challenge.

"Heck yeah I'm strong! Want me to prove it!" Goku could feel himself getting excited at the prospect of having a decent fight.

"Huh? You just arrived and you're already trying to pick a fight?" The boy replied, not realizing he had unintentionally challenged the boy.

"Gray, why do you always pick a fight with newbies?" A girl spoke out. She had dark hair and looked to be fiddling with something. "Master, can you stop it before they hurt each other."

"Hey! Butt out of it Cana! If he wants a fight then that's what he's going to get!" The boy, now named Gray, turned his attention to Fairy Tail's master. "Come on Master, he's asking for a beat down!" He proclamation elicited a chuckle form the old man. He doubted that Rob's grandson would be so weak that it would be a beat down.

"I think I'd actually like to see you two spar. Just so we can get a gauge on your strength's Goku." He turned to the boy who had been grinning the whole time.

"Fine by me master!" He said, momentarily forgetting he wasn't yet apart of Fairy Tail. He quickly turned back to Gray before noticing something. "Hey, how come you're not dressed for a fight?"

"What?"

"You're in your underwear! You can't fight like that!"

"Shut it and quit stalling!" The boy growled out before slamming his hands together. "Ice Make: Hammer!" Ice started forming mid air before quickly gathering and molding into the shape of a hammer. Then, with speed the human eye had trouble following, it slammed down on Goku. Goku dropped to the floor beneath the hammer and was pinned. "Ha! I thought you said you were strong!" Then something amazing happened, the ice hammer split in two and clattered to the ground.

"Ow! That hurt!" Goku cried out while rubbing the top of his head. There would certainly be a lump formed by the next morning. Gray himself was speechless at how the boy had nearly shrugged off his attack. "You hit pretty hard but let's see you if you can take it back!" Goku dashed forward in a blurred movement and sunk his fist into the other boy's stomach.

Gray was thrown onto his back on the floor. From there he grabbed his stomach and Goku relaxed his stance. He hadn't put too much force into that punch had he? He glanced over to master Makarov for any sort of guidance. The old man gave him sort and simple nod. Goku would have been confused by the meaning of the gesture had not the sound of scuffling on the wooden floor reached his ears. Goku barely had time to register the attack Gray was throwing at him.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" He tried the same weapon once more. This time he swung to from the left to the right in a wide arc. He was more prepared when Goku ducked two of his swings.

"No fair! I wasn't paying attention!" Goku shouted.

"I'm pretty sure that's your problem." Gray said with a cocky smirk. Goku narrowed his eyes at the ice wizard. Fine if they really wanted to play like that then two can play at that game. Goku gathered his strength and let out a deep breath. Then, like a powerful gust of wind, he shot at Gray and crashed into him.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray shouted out from behind a glowing blue circle. Suddenly ice particles formed in the air before solidifying into a giant shield. Goku crashed into the shield at high speeds. The ice shield was tough, very tough, but Goku's attack was tougher. The shield shattered into large shards as Goku powered through it. So shocked was Gray that he was unable to move out of the way. "What the-"

"HA!" Goku roared in triumph when his attack landed. The other boy, Gray, howled in pain once it landed. He dropped to his knees and face planted on the floor. His hands clutching the injured part of his body. Goku had just hit him below the belt, breaking the sacred code among men.

"Goku!" He heard Makarov's voice shout over the Gray's cries. Goku turned around and saw the old man rushing over with another member of the guild. They quickly rushed past him and went to Gray's aid.

"Easy there buddy, you're gonna be fine." The man with blue hair told Gray.

"I don't get it, what happened?" Goku asked, unsure of what was happening. Master Makarov turned towards him, blatant disappointment written over his face.

"Goku, you just kicked him in his privates." Makarov took a moment to sense the boy. He was hurt but seemed okay-that was a relief. "Goku, you can't just kick people in those parts of their body."

"Huh? Why not?" He wasn't making any sense, it was a fight wasn't it?

"Because it's not right, it's a cheap shot and only bad people use cheap shots." He said, attempting to educate him on the importance of avoiding that area-particularly when fighting friends.

"I'm sorry master Makarov, I didn't mean to be a bad person!" Goku dropped to his hands and knees before clasping his hands together. "Please forgive me! I didn't mean it!" Makarov frowned at Goku for his behavior, was he always this animated? Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard a small voice tell him yes.

"Goku, stop it. No one's angry at you-it was a mistake and everyone makes them. You just need to learn to accept them, especially if you hope to join us." Goku quickly stopped and just stood in place silently. Makarov left his side and went back to check on Gray.

"He was pretty fast for a kid." The man that had accompanied him said.

"Yeah, he's not too bad." Makarov replied with a smile.

"Not too bad? The kid's a freaking monster-how old you say he was again?"

"Goku is ten-"

"Geeze, can you imagine how powerful he'll become once he gets older?"

"Macao, as much as I'd like to continue our chat-I feel Gray should be the focus of our attention."

"Yeah." The man nodded in agreement before resuming his evaluation of the young boy. "He's looking fine but his man bits will be sore for a day or two." Macao stood up and looked down to the older wizard. "I think he needs a stronger opponent next time he gets to fight."

"Yeah... indeed. As a matter of fact, he's going to be joining us."

"I figured that much-"

"He's not alone though. There's another, just as strong as him-if not stronger."

"Wait, another one that's stronger? The hell were you doing while you were gone?" Macao asked the guild master before the sound of groaning distracted them.

"Er... er... I'm gonna get him back for that!" He growled out as he tried to force himself to stand.

"No, I'm not gonna fight you anymore." The sound of Goku's voice echoed from behind them. "Not until I can control my self." His statement greatly shocked both Makarov and Macao.

"What? Don't give me that! You got a lucky shot and I'm not gonna let you get away with it!" Gray said with anger creeping into his voice. He didn't peg the kid for being a coward, something he despised.

"Maybe once I learn how to control my moves better but until then I'm not fighting anyone anymore." Goku then turned to Makarov with a deadly serious stare. "Master Makarov... Can you please tell me where the bathroom is?!" The Fairy Tail guild master could only blink in confusion-Goku was going to be a handful wasn't he?

While the guild master began instructing Goku on where to go, Gray found himself thinking of the strange boy. It had been a really long time since he had someone to spar with on his level. In a way, it was sort of nice to be able to practice fight again-even if it meant a cheap shot to the groin. Gray might not have admitted to it but the short spar spurred him to get stronger. It was like Goku was a meant to be rival for him...

Goku wasn't missing from the guild hall for too long. He had returned after a few minutes and he quickly searched for the guild master. The elderly man was sitting on top of the bar counter gulping something down from a mug. Goku felt his stomach rumble loudly but was thankful it wasn't loud enough to cause a disturbance. He hastily made his way back to Makarov and got his attention.

"Hello Master Makarov."

"Hello Goku, do you feel better?"

"Yeah I really do but... um... I was wondering if I could get something to eat." Goku told the guild master who blinked at him.

"Well, that actually reminds me of something Goku. Only guild members can actually eat and use the bar here." He informed the young boy beside him. "So you would have to be a member of the guild in order for that to happen."

"Oh..." Goku trailed off.

"However... I do remember something about you wanting to join Fairy Tail, or was I mistaken?" Goku may not have been a genius but even he could catch the hint that Makarov was giving him.

"Yeah, yeah I did!" The wild haired boy clenched his fists in excitement.

"Well then, I don't see why we should hold off on it any longer then." The man hopped off of the counter and landed beside Goku. He reached into a pocket before bringing out a plastic case. He quickly flipped it open and it revealed a stamp and ink pad. "Now, what color would you like?" Makarov asked Goku.

"Huh? But there's only one color." Goku commented.

"Smart boy but that's because this is magic ink. It'll change to the color you want." Wonderment flashed through Goku's eyes when Makarov told him that.

"Wow, cool... Can I get dark blue?"

"Of course Goku-now, where do you want it to go?"

"The back of my neck!" Goku turned around and pointed to the spot where his neck turned into his shoulders.

"That would be the nape Goku-"

"Yeah there!" Makarov sighed before carefully putting the mark on the boy. He hoped interruptions would not become a habit with this one.

"There Goku, you are now an official member of Fairy Tail."

"Cool!" Goku shouted and went to touch the stamp mark on his neck. When his hands crossed where the mark was, it was completely dry-not a hint of ink could be felt. Goku had to wonder if magic was always this useful. Then again, he never had time to expand what he could do because of the Tower of Heaven. Maybe he can get some lessons from-

*Rumble*

"Hehe." Goku giggled before turning to Makarov, who was staring at him with a raised eye brow. "Can I get some food? I'm pretty hungry." The old man blinked at the young boy before nodding dumbly in response. The boy wasted no time in walking to a seat by the bar. Once in a seat he looked around the bar before frowning.

"Hey, what's wrong?" A voice asked from beside him.

"I... don't know what there is to eat." Goku replied back to the stranger without even looking at them.

"Oh, well that's fine because you can get any food you want here." They explained, which had finally got Goku to look at them. They were a girl with dark brown hair and skin that was just barely tanned.

"Wait, for real?" Goku gawked.

"Yeah, it's magic-remember?"

"Wow... magic is awesome..." Goku said to himself. Goku didn't waste time when he made his order. Unfortunately, none of the wizards, mages, etc. were ready the appetite the young boy possessed. One could compare his appetite to that of four men combined! Seeing his lack of table manners that accompanied his monstrous appetite managed to make some of the guild members sick. Seeing this, the wizard name Macao turned back towards the guild monster.

"You sure he isn't just a monster in disguise?" He asked as a joke.

"Trust me, I'm sure." Makarov replied back, finding even himself flabbergasted by the boys ferocious appetite.

"Well one thing is for sure, the guild hall is gonna be raking in the dough with this kid." Macao commented.

"Huh, yeah... I guess we better get a tab started then..." Makarov mumbled more to himself than too Macao.

"Ew, you're gross!" A voice called from beside Goku, causing him to turn.

"Huh?" He asked with his mouth still stuffed with food. It did more harm than good as the girl scooted away from him. Was he honestly this much of a pig? Goku took a painful swallow of food-forcing it down so he could talk without the food hindering his speech. "What's wrong?" The girl sighed before speaking to Goku.

"Do you have to act like a slob?" She asked, earning a look of confusion from the boy.

"What's a slob?" She blinked at him, surely the boy was kidding? Unfortunately, upon doing a retake-she found him to be genuine with his confusion. "It's someone who eats like a pig-they make messes everywhere."

"Oh... sorry, I haven't had food this good in a while." He admitted to her, causing her to sigh.

"It's fine, at leas the guild is going to be making a lot of money soon." She commented, mostly to herself, but the boy just caught it.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You know you have to pay for that right?" She explained, earning a yelp from the boy.

"What?! But I don't have any money!"

"Calm down Goku, don't worry. This time it's on the house but beginning tomorrow you will have to start paying." Makarov interrupted the conversation, drawing their attention. "Don't worry Goku, I'll teach you how things work here tomorrow as well." The boy just nodded in response before resuming his demolition of the food before him.

By the time the young boy had finished his meal, the sky had begun to darken. Dusk was approaching and many of the residents were heading to their homes. Some of the older wizards hung around the guild in the late hours but most had left. Initially, the young boy was confused about the absence of the other wizards but he quickly took note of the sky through an open window. It was then that he realized he really didn't have anywhere to stay for the night. It didn't bother him though, he had roughed it in the woods before-he could do so again.

"Well, thanks for the food. I guess I'll be going now." Goku said before turning and heading towards the door. It wasn't until he reached the end of the bar counter that someone took notice of his departure.

"Hey, Goku was it?" The young boy turned and noticed the wizard named Macao. "Where exactly are you planning to go? I mean, you seemed pretty new to all of this stuff earlier, so I imagine you don't have somewhere to crash."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm fine with sleeping in the woods. I used to do it with my grandpa-I really like the way the woods smell too." He confessed before turning to leave again. Once again though, he was stopped by the older wizard.

"Well I get that and all but someone as young as your self shouldn't be having to sleep in the woods." Macao commented. "Especially since Winter isn't too far away either, it's not the best idea." Goku turned back to look at him in confusion.

"Well what should I do? I don't have any money to stay in place or something." Goku confessed. What Goku had said made Macao think for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "Hey, I have some spare money. You can have it if it means you get a roof over your head for the night." Goku blinked before a smile spread across his face.

"Wow, really?" Macao merely nodded before tossing a small pouch to the boy. "Wow, thanks Macao!" He thanked the wizard, gaining a smile from him.

"No problem kid." With that, Goku rushed out of the guild hall and into the night.

Makarov could see the young boy rushing off before he let a smile grace his aged features. Son Goku, grandson of Rob, was a truly unique individual. It almost made him sad to think the boy had lost his grandfather. Regardless, he would take over guiding him from where Rob had left. He made a silent promise that the boy would become a great wizard while he was apart of Fairy Tail-or so help him, his name wasn't Makarov Dreyar...

xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx

Over in the tree house that Porlyusica had made her home out of, two souls were up late into the night. The older woman with pink hair, Porlyusica, was with a young girl with scarlet red hair-Erza Scarlet. Porlyusica had just completed a pain staking operation for the girl. Using her magical abilities, she had managed to replace the eye the young girl had lost. It was easy by no means but it was more than worth it.

"Tell me, can you see well out of the eye?" The older woman asked the girl. A moment of silence insured before the girl smiled.

"Yes!" She cried out in joy after discovering she could, in fact, see out of the replacement. "This... this is wonderful... I thought I had lost my eye forever but..." She turned to the pink haired woman and hugged her tightly. Tears dripped down one of her cheeks, while it was an over sight during the operation, neither party would complain. Perhaps it even brought a small to the old hag's face but she would have never confessed to such a thing. Erza had been... sort of a shell of a person when they'd met the previous night. To see her emotions explode forth, it was strange but good to see.

"Come now Erza, it's late and you really should be getting off to rest." She told the girl who was still hugging onto her tightly. The girl slowly loosened her grip until she stepped away.

"Um, it's alright. I should be getting back to Goku-"

"Nonsense!" Porlyusica shouted to the girl. "You're not ready to head to Fairy Tail yet-besides, it's much to dark to travel now anyways." Porlyuscia pulled back a curtain and revealed the darkness blanketing the land. "You can stay in the guest room again and then head in the morning." The old woman said before guiding Erza back to the room to rest.

Once Erza had been put in bed and Porlyusica gone from the room, she let herself drift into thought. The past few days had been very intense for her and Goku, more so her than the happy go lucky boy. She thought about what Jellal had done, how Goku was convinced he was still a good person. She wouldn't tell him the truth, not yet, she preferred he'd stay optimistic. She could only wonder what had gotten into Jellal when they were trying to escape... She felt her chest tighten at the thought of the others. What had become of them once she and Goku were captured?

She let out a sigh, there was really no way of telling and she wasn't willing to go back to the Tower of Heaven just yet. She still had to get stronger, much stronger, if she ever hoped to destroy that evil place and free those within. This trail of thought lead her back to her fellow escapee and companion-Son Goku. The boy had gone with Makarov to join the guild and while she and him had initially refused to part ways with one another, they eventually had to. She hoped that where ever he was, he was fine and safe.

"He's probable sleeping like a log, knowing him." She thought with a giggle. "I can't wait to go join him at Fairy Tail... I wonder what it's like.." She couldn't stop the grin forming on her face. They had done it, completed grandpa's last wishes, they had become a part of Fairy Tail... well Goku but she would be joining as soon as possible...

That night, Erza Scarlet had fallen asleep with the biggest smile she had on her face in years...

xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx

Dawn had come quickly for a certain boy in the town of Magnolia. That boy was Son Goku, who had spent the night in a inn thanks to the generosity of his fellow guild member, Macao. He would have to remember to say thank you to him when he saw the man again. Currently, Goku was doing something completely odd for the young boy. The boy had awoken with a start, only to find he reeked once he smelled himself. He had instantly taken to the showers to get rid of the overwhelming stench.

He quickly finished and stepped out and put his clothes back on. He was going to need some more clothes to prevent this from happening, wasn't he? He quickly gather whatever things he had and found his way outside and to the lobby. He made sure to say by to the nice lady behind the counter before he set out to the guild hall. He was so excited for the day ahead of him!

When he caught sight of the guild hall, he squinted his eyes. In front of the door was a strong red splotch, one he was sure definitely wasn't there before. He sped up his approach to investigate what it was. Fortunately, the closer he got to the splotch-the more it began to take shape. It was a person with a mop of scarlet colored hair. A smile crept up on Goku's face, there was only one person he knew with that hair color!

"Hey! Erza, you're here!" Goku shouted from behind the girl. The girl let out a shout of surprise before spinning around. There she saw her friend with a cheeky grin on his face. She let a smile slip onto her face as well before she pulled him into a hug, one both of them embraced. When they pulled apart, she was bombarded with questions from him. The most notable of them, was one about her eye.

"Your eye! You got it back! How'd you fix it?!"

"Hold on Goku, you know I can't understand you when your this excited." She told him in a, vein, attempt to calm the boy down.

"Wow, it's super pretty-just like the other!" Goku spoke in astonishment, causing the red headed girl to sputter. "Erza? Erza, are you alright? Your face is turning really red-you're not getting sick are you?" Goku continued to bombard her with more questions, embarrassing her further, much to her distress.

"Um-yeah! I mean no! I got the eye from Porlyusica-I'm not sick either." She answered him while fighting down the embarrassment he caused. "And she gave me these new clothes too." Erza gestured to the armor and sword she now adorned.

"Oh, that's pretty cool! Well, welcome back Erza."

"Yeah, it's good to be back." She watched her friend go to push open the door, only to walk straight into it.

"The heck?" Goku said, utterly confused.

"Calm down, don't worry-it's just locked." A voice said from behind the duo. They turned around and found Makarov standing there with a set of keys. Goku smiled immediately and went to greet him.

"High master Makarov!"

"Yes, yes-good morning to you Goku and hello Erza, come to join the guild I see?" He continued on without missing a beat.

"Wait, you were the master of Fairy Tail all along?" She blurted out.

"Am, I am the master of Fairy Tail." He corrected her whilst unlocking the doors. "Well, I suppose there's no time to waste. Come inside and we can make you an official member of the guild." He said before holding the door open for the two children to walk in. The quickly did and found themselves at the bar counter.

"Wow... I can't believe it." Erza said, looking around the guild hall.

"Yeah, isn't it awesome?!" Goku cheered from beside her.

"Now, where would you like you guild stamp to be?" Makarov's old voice said from behind the counter. He hoped on top of it with far too much grace for someone of his age. He then opened it and presented the stamp to Erza. She could barely respond, this was real and it was all really happening.

"I... want it on my arm." Erza said before pointing to her bicep. Makarov wasted no time in pressing the stamp in the ink and pressing it to her arm. When he had pulled it away, much the child's astonishment, it had turned red. "The color, I thought it was black." She stated confused.

"That's the thing, it's magic ink so it changed to the color you wanted it to be." Erza nodded, a small feeling of awe spreading through her. "Now don't mind me, I have something I need to do." Makarov stated as he hopped off the counter and left to his office. The two children sat there at the counter in silence before Erza eventually spoke up.

"It just... it feels so... unreal..." She said.

"That's alright Erza, I'm sure you'll get over it soon." Goku told his friend-unaware of the opening doors not too far away.

"Hey Goku!" The two children at the counter turned their attention to another boy who had entered. Dark black hair, gray swim trunks, no shirt-what was with this guy?

"Oh, hey Gray!" Goku called back to the boy he'd put a beat down on the day before. The ice wizard made his way over to him before stopping and noticing Erza.

"Oh, who are you?" Gray asked with confusion, had another person joined after he left that night?

"I'm-"

"Her name's Erza!" Goku shouted, interrupting his friend.

"Is she a new member or something?" Gray asked.

"I just-"

"Yeah, she just joined today!" Goku said.

"Oh really? Hey, are you as strong as a Goku?"

"I don't-"

"Yeah! She's super strong-gah!" Goku shouted after he was slugged on the back of his head. He laid on the floor with steam rising from his head from the swing. Erza's hand was where Goku's head had been moments before, indicating her to be the culprit behind hitting the boy.

"I'll take that as a yes." Gray finished, sweat dropping at the sight of Goku on the ground and incapacitate. He flashed Erza a smile before offering his hand, opting to take a different route than challenging her as he had Goku. She took his hand and shook, by the time they had finished, Goku was back up.

"Hey old man! I need yo-OW!" Goku dropped to his knees and clutched his head in pain. It was the second time that Erza had just hit him. No one could blame her though, how could he not have even the slightest of manners? That was their guild master of all people he was addressing! "Why did you do that Erza? The hurt!"

"Because his name is Makarov, Master Makarov-not old man!" She growled out to him, he should have already known to behave and show respect to the man. "Show some respect Goku." During the whole exchange between the boy and the girl, Gray had stood off to the side. He was adamant about not being between their squabbles. Especially after witnessing how easy it was for the girl to put Goku on the ground.

Soon enough, the sound of foot steps filled the guild hall once more. Gray took a seat next to the two new arrivals. Master Makarov came down from the second floor and too notice of Gray's arrival, offering him a small nod. He then turned to Erza and Goku, the latter of the two holding his head, which caused him to raise an eyebrow. No one said a word, whether it be from a lack of feeling a need to explain or fear.

"Well, today is the day you get to go on your first mission." He told them, which caused a mixture of reactions. Goku had stopped fussing over the stinging of his head. Erza looked taken aback, like she hadn't expected this to happen so soon. Gray just looked surprised that Makarov was walking them through this. After all, it was fairly common knowledge what a guild hall was and how it worked.

"Alright!" Goku chanted and that caused Makarov to smile.

"That's the enthusiasm Goku, you'll need that-especially if you're going to be eating like you did yesterday in the future." The comment had put a slight damper on the boy's mood. He was probably going to have to work extra hard to support his appetite. "Now I know the two of you are new to this being wizards thing. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to guide you along every little detail." That got Erza frowning, how were they going to learn the robes if Master Makarov wasn't going to teach them? "But lucky for you, there is someone who can help you get use to thing-Gray!"

"Um, yeah?" Gray sad, he didn't like where this was going.

"You will be accompanying them on their first mission." He told the ice mage, which elicited gasps of shock from all three children. "You will be showing them the robes since you've had experience doing jobs before." He explained.

"I-um..."

"Master, we can handle it our selves. We don't want to be a burden-" Makarov shushed the scarlet haired girl.

"Nonsense, Gray will help as he's been lallygagging about the place for too long and he too has a tab building up." He turned to the ice wizard. "Unless he has a problem with that?" The looked was, in reality, a warning to accept it-lest Makarov lose his generous streak.

"Um, no sir. I wouldn't be troubled helping them out." He said.

"Good, that's what I like to hear. Now report back here once you've finished the job-there will be more to discuss." He told them before walking back to his office. Both young wizards and old had busy days ahead of them and it would be best to get them underway as soon as possible. This lead to Gray getting up and walking to a board in the middle of the guild hall with papers stuck to it. He waved the other two over and waited to explain what it was.

"This here is the mission board, as you can see it's covered with a bunch of pages-these pages are job requests." He explained before looking back to the duo to make sure they understood. When he received a nod from both of them, he continued on with the explanations. "Towns and people will sometimes come by and drop off job requests. The amount of money they pay varies but typically the more rewarding ones are more difficult. The most difficult ones are on the second floor and we're not allowed to go up there."

"Why?" Goku asked.

"Because, only S-ranked mages can and to be one of those, you got to be one of the very best." Gray explained. "Now that you know the basics, feel free to look through which ones you want to take... Just... make sure it's not somewhere very hot-I don't do well in hot places." Gray told them before standing to the side. The two new Fair Tail wizards just nodded to one another before searching the mission board. They took their time but, in their defense, they found one with in 20 minutes of searching.

"Deeefeeeeat the moon-s-teer in the fooo-rest. Yeah, this one!" Goku shouted before turning back to the others. Gray looked at him questioningly while Erza could only hide her face in shame.

"Goku, the moment we get back-we're teaching you how to read." She told him before glancing at a different mission. "Let's get this one instead, it has a better reward-200,000 jewels." Erza pulled the job request from the mission board.

"What's it about?" Gray inquired.

"Apparently we just have to be escorts/body guards for this girl who's going to a doctor." She said.

"Well, it sounds easy enough. Why not?" Gray turned towards Goku to look for his approval.

"Well, we may not be fighting monsters... but that is a lot of money... Alright, let's do it!" Goku shouted in excitement.

"Well, there's no use standing here and talking-let's get going." Gray said.

"Yes, we should probably hurry." Erza added.

"Yeah!" Goku pumped his fist into the air before following them out the door.

No one may have realized it at the time but that was a defining moment in their history. It was the first mission Son Goku and Erza Scarlet would ever go on. The two were destined to be the best of friends in the future and this was but a steeping stone in their lives. It would be their first real adventure as wizards! Many more would follow in the wake of it!