A/N: Yes, I'm back! I'm so, so sorry for the two-year hiatus. You can blame the usual culprits: school, depression, perfectionism and anxiety, lack of interest, etc. But I'm really getting back into anime and all my old usual interests—anyone with mental health problems knows how it can leave you very dejected and uninterested in everything for a long period of time, but I'm slowly growing, and definitely healing. Getting CBT and therapy were the best things I've ever done.

To the Guest who left me the review two days ago saying they thought about this fanfiction all the time, thank you. You motivated me. Reviews are like crack to fanfiction writers, the drug of validation is an addictive one, so always feel free to pester me.

Genesi

Chapter Song: Grimes – So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth (Art Mix)

The two girls had been so enthralled in their conversation about their two worlds that, by the time they had both exhausted their curiosity, the morning hours had been and gone and the sun hung high in the sky. At some point, Hinata's pain had faded too, even if her fatigue seemed to tug at her every limb and urge her back to sleep.

To Hinata, their worlds were far more different than they were similar; unlike ninja, mages weren't assassins for hire, unless from 'dark guilds'—guilds not recognised by the Magic Council; the elemental nations had no central governing power that dictated what ninjas or villages could do, only daimyo and hidden villages with different agendas. The guilds were hardly comparable to Hidden Villages, and Hinata couldn't quite wrap her head around the laws governing an entire country, and murder—the very thing ninjas are trained for—being illegal.

That aspect of Hinata's world that shocked Levy—that, and the fact that killing was the norm, and that killing was a thing that you needed to learn from an early age in order to survive. Even Hinata, who was timid in demeanour, was not overly phased by killing enemies in battle. Hinata couldn't quite understand the polarisation of good and evil – the fact it was so clear cut that killing was bad, when killing was simply a part of life in her world. Maybe it was better that way. To Levy, and the people of Fairy Tail, it was a last resort in the most extreme situations. It was something to be avoided if possible.

Hinata had grown and lived around and with ninja and had never really had any sort of moral debate with a civilian, and, although 'civilian' was a debatable word when it came to mages, their sense of morality seemed somewhat more akin to one than the average ninja. She couldn't imagine Kurenai-sensei or Kakashi-sensei reacting to their way of living—they'd say it was a dream in comparison to what they grew up with. It kind of reminded her of Naruto though, who tried to avoid killing whenever possible.

It hurt her heart, just a little, the thought of him—no, correction, it hurt her heart a lot.

She was gone from him, and everyone else, with no way of getting back. She was gone forever, it seemed, and they'd all think she was dead. When, in reality, she traded her life in the elemental nations for a life in earth land. For what reason whatever Kami there was had spared her life in this way, she didn't know. But she did know it ached to think about it too long. Her eyes stung with tears as she spoke to the girl, and the lump in her throat seemed ever-present.

The war was what had shocked Levy the most. The fact that Hinata's world had such powerful enemies, such powerful ninjas. The only thing Levy could describe as being even somewhat similar to Pein's attack on Konoha was the recent attack on their guild committed by their rival Guild, Phantom Lord, which had led to a war between the two. Fairy Tail had emerged victorious, but at the loss of their previous guild building.

Magic was different to chakra, also. Levy had described a few various kinds to Hinata, so she'd have a basic grasp of it. Magic seemed far more limited, in that a ninja could use various chakra natures and techniques. Levy was eager to see how Hinata's chakra and techniques would fair against magic and Hinata, well, Hinata supposed she just wanted to see what magic was like. There was something adorable about Levy, in the fact that she seemed fascinated by any new knowledge. She had been taking down more notes than Hinata thought should be humanly possible in the book that had been on her lap and resorted to writing on napkins when she ran out of space.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at the way Levy's eyes lit up with wonder at Hinata's words since, for her, this was the norm, but the blue haired girl had an enthusiasm the Hyuuga had never seen before. She had even made the comment that she'd one day have to author a novel based on Hinata's world and life, which led to a fierce (on Levy's part) debate on whether or not Hinata was protagonist material or not.

Despite how admirably Hinata spoke of Naruto, Levy seemed far more curious on the character that was Sasuke. Not in the sort of way Sakura was, but it still made Hinata wonder.

By the time they had exhausted both of their curiosity, it had reached the morning hours. Hinata, while still not content—since she was still at a complete loss as to why or how she got here—felt much more at ease, knowing a little more about her surroundings.

The two had lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment, before Levy broke it, asking "Do you want to go get some breakfast?"

And it was perhaps the most normal question she had been asked so far and caused a bittersweet feeling to settle in the Hyuuga's chest. It was normal, and it made her feel normal, but this was not the normal she was used to. This wasn't her normal. But she'd have to accept that it was going to become it. Perhaps.

Hinata nodded, a light smile taking place on her face. Levy's own smile split across her face and was perhaps one of the warmest Hinata had ever seen. Like Naruto's yet, somehow, sweeter. She bounced off of her seat, and Hinata slipped from her bed slowly allowing her muscles to adjust to the movement.

There was no pain, but there was a few aches as well as a prevalent stiffness in her joints.

As she lifted from the bed, she was finally able to see that the clothes she was wearing were certainly not her own, nor were they like anything she had ever worn before. Levy's face became a bright shade of red, and Hinata was sure that, for a moment, she saw a hint of jealousy.

Hinata's own face became warmth from embarrassment.

"We had to go to my friend Lucy's house to get you some clothes, since yours were so tattered." Levy explained, laughing nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Although, they might even look better on you." She uttered under her breath, averting her eyes rapidly around the room.

The outfit Hinata wore was unlike anything she had ever worn before, since, as a ninja (and due to her self-esteem) she had never worn anything quite so...revealing. On her top half, she wore a black V-neck tank top that had relatively thick straps, but that was low cut enough to show a considerable amount of cleavage. And, on her lower half she wore a white skirt that only just about covered everything down there.

"I-is this what's normal to wear around here?" She asked nervously.

"Yes. But you might get a few stares." Levy said with a sort of nervous laughter, scratching her face. Her face then lit up with realisation, and she rushed round the other side of Hinata's bed, emerging with a black pair of boots that had an open toe and a small chunky heel. "They were the most similar thing I could find to your old shoes, and I don't think I've ever seen Lucy wear them, so I don't think she'd mind."

Hinata's face softened. Everything about this girl screamed kindness—even more than Sakura or Ino had ever possessed, she thought. The boots weren't the most practical ever, but they did seem to resemble the ones she used to wear—albeit a bit longer, reaching her knees, and a bit more feminine, with a small heal and open toe, and leather—but it was the thought that counted. She'd find something more practical (and modest) in her own time. The fact Levy had paid such attention to detail and tried to find her something which was akin to what she wore before made Hinata's heart swell. It was a small but enormously kind gesture Levy had done for a person she didn't even know.

"Thank you, Levy-san." She said sincerely.

"It's no worry. And drop the san! It's too formal!"

And that seemed to be another difference between their two worlds. The lack of formality. Another thing to adjust to.

Both left the room, and, while Levy walked with a sort of skip in her step, Hinata chose to go at a much slower pace, trying to take in her surroundings, unused to the architectural style, and trying to adjust to the stiffness of her body and the weakness of her legs; the lingering effects of having her body ripped and broken and forced into another universe. Not that she understood how she was here, not dead, or why she was perfectly fine as if it hadn't happened at all.

"Oh my gosh!" Levy froze in place, causing Hinata to accidentally bump into her. "We need to ask Master if you can join!"

"Oh," Hinata's brows furrowed, unsure how to respond—unsure if she wanted to join. "But I'm not a mage?" She wondered out loud. Hinata was unsure of what she was meant to do in this world. If she'd been brought here by chance or fate, or if she, of all people, was somehow useful and needed. She didn't understand why she'd evaded death, or what deity decided she deserved a second chance.

It must've been a mistake. She was Hinata Hyuuga: underwhelming, unimportant, uninspiring.

"But you have chakra, right? We'll have to explain the circumstances to Master. He should be here already; he usually is early in the morning to have a bit of peace before everyone else starts arriving. But, yes, the fact you have chakra and your fighting style means you can fight, right? So, you should be okay! Unless…" Her voice faded quietly, losing its enthusiasm, "You don't want to join? But where else would you go?"

Levy had said so much at once that it caught the Hyuuga off-guard. She did have chakra, but she didn't know how it worked in blocking magic, or if it even could. She didn't know if the people here the same pathways had the people of the elemental nations did. She didn't want to strain her eyes to check, just yet. And it was true that she didn't have anywhere else to go, but could she just join—just like that? No check, no test?

As they entered the main hall, at the bar sat a little old man who Hinata could only assume to be the 'master', based off Levy's description. Smaller than the Third Hokage.

Who was dead, like her—or like she was supposed to be. She shook away the thought.

"Maaastaaaaa!" Levy called from across the room, catching the old man's attention.

"Ah, Levy-chan! And the girl from the field! How are you doing?"

"Good, sir." Hinata bowed in appreciation. "Thank you for saving me!"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. It's what we're here to do, right?" The Master replied, waving his hands in dismissal.

Another difference: here, it seemed they were far more hospitable, not at all suspecting she could possibly have any hostile intent. No questioning, no interrogation. Just trust, even despite their recent 'war'. Hinata wasn't sure she found that word appropriate, considering the magnitude of the one she went through (and all the destruction and all the death and all the death and all the death death death—) but it was a battle, nonetheless.

"What happened for you end up in that state?"

"It's...a very long story."

And so, once again, she explained it.

By the time she was done, a few more people had begun pouring into the guild. One of which had a far more notable appearance than many of the others—she hadn't seen many people with that much metal on their face, and she had almost mistaken his hair for Madara's (and thus induced a moment of panic for the Hyuuga)—and he had seemed to pike the interest of Levy, too, upon arrival.

Was that the guy who had destroyed Fairy Tail and used—what was it—iron magic? That crucified Levy? Because, he fit the description. If he was. then they definitely stuck to their principles of forgiveness and reformation.

The Master had remained silent throughout the entire recounting of the story, but his face showed a vast mix of emotions throughout. Even once she was done and had lapsed into an expecting silence herself, the Master took a few moments before choosing to speak.

"So, you truly don't know why or how you arrived here?"

"I wish I did." She spoke quietly.

"Well," he began loudly, causing her head to prop up, "anyone is welcome here! Where would you like your stamp?"

Hinata blinked, her eyes wide. It was that easy?

"U-Um..."

"Mine's on my shoulder blade if that gives you any idea! And you can have any colour!" Levy beamed.

The Fairy Tail insignia—sort of like the Konoha symbol. A small pattern which distracted your loyalty, and where you belonged to.

Everything felt awfully rushed. And everyone was looking at her so expectantly. And Hinata did have a tendency to cave under pressure.

Breathe. She remembered Kurenai's training. Assess your surroundings. And so, she did. The hall was still relatively empty, but brand new looking—and large. The tables were wooden and polished, and the walls adorned with tapestry in shades of orange and green with patterns she had never quite seen before. And, well, there was an awfully large stage.

Breathe. The two-people asking her were harmless—a teenage girl, and an old man. They only wanted the best intentions for her (right?) and to join the guild was to give her, a girl misplaced in a world she didn't know, an at least temporary (and safe?) place of belonging.

Breathe. Focus on the air inhaled through the nose.

One. Two. Three.

And out through the mouth.

One. Two. Three.

"Violet, please." She responded, feeling a secure grasp of the situation around her. "On my right wrist."

And, just like that, it was stamped on. Hinata observed the obscure tattoo on her wrist, trying not to think too deeply about it; if she did, she'd go into a spiral of thought she didn't know she'd be able to escape from. This was all too new and confusing, and her anxiety was lingering at the brim simply waiting to pop at any moment, so she simply went with the flow and ignored the now ever-present heaviness in her chest.

The rest of the morning passed by rather unnotably. The two finally got breakfast—rice balls with green tea for Hinata since that was familiar and reminded her of home, and since there was no natto or ume boshi on the menu. Her appetite wasn't really there, but she forced herself to eat regardless. It helped replenish her a bit, even if the hot liquid running down her throat made her squirm a bit, and even if the rice was plain.

Levy's presence relaxed the Hyuuga somewhat. She was friendly. Someone that reminded her she was safe despite the circumstances Hinata couldn't make sense of. She wasn't completely alone in this isolating, confusing place.

More people were beginning to fill the guild, and the vast array of hair colours was one of the things which struck Hinata the most.

There were a pair of siblings, Mirajane and Elfman, Levy said, who had white hair. Not silver like Kakashi's, but white. And then there was another new guild member (another one from the guild that had attacked Fairy Tail, which had surprised Hinata again) who had blue hair, much like Levy's. It made Hinata almost feel plain, in comparison, even despite the fact her own hair had purple tones. Levy assured the Hyuuga that her eyes were rare enough.

The blue haired girl, Juvia, had been going around the guild profusely apologising to everyone, while the man who Hinata had mistaken as Madara for just a moment, sat in solitary, and was on the receiving end of a lot of dirty looks. He wore a scowl on his face that warned people to stay away, but Hinata couldn't quite get rid of the repetitive thought, 'What would Naruto do?', and felt inclination to go over and speak to him.

Or, maybe she just wanted to stop shuddering every time she saw his hair and eyes—because all she could see was him and the destruction again and her death again—

"Hinata?" Levy's voice cut through her daze, and Hinata joined reality once again. Levy had been chatting with her team, Shadow Gear, which had allowed Hinata to become so distracted by her own thought. But she was glad she had been pulled from it. Just as she was about to respond to Levy, the blue-haired girl sprung from her seat and jogged toward the door. Hinata's eyes followed, revealing a group of people standing at Fairy Tail's doors. Two guys and two girls; all of which had, again, colourful hair, except for one.

"Lu-chan! Welcome back!" Levy waved as Hinata came and stood beside her.

"Levy-chan!" The blonde (Lu?) greeted back excitedly. The girl's eyes then fell on Hinata, and her face morphed into that of curiosity and confusion. She blinked, "Eh? Who's this?"

"Oh! This is Hinata, she joined this morning! Hinata," Levy motioned in the girl's direction, "this is Lucy."

"Nice to meet you!" They said simultaneously, although Lucy sounded significantly more chipper than Hinata. "Hey, those clothes look familiar…" The blonde mumbled to herself, eyeing the girl from head-to-toe. Hinata stood awkwardly, hoping the girl wouldn't notice they were from her own wardrobe. "Anyway, I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

Hinata repeated the name, attempting to correctly pronounce the name correctly. It was hardly like anything she'd ever heard before, making her feel all the more alienated from these people.

Her smile was warm, and her eyes a soft brown. She seemed king, like Levy. The girl almost resembled a young Tsunade—just as buxom—but didn't seem built like a fighter like the Hokage. She had a frail, feminine form, thin arms and, like her, was dressed in clothes she'd otherwise consider far too revealing. Lucy didn't seem to suffer with the same insecurity Hinata did, however; Hinata stood with her hands clasped together, fingers fiddling, attempting to cover her chest, and yet Lucy stood with such confidence, as though she wasn't scantily clad.

"A new member, exciting." A red-head woman, with an all-too imposing presence for the timid Hyuuga, commented somewhat monotonously. She strode forward toward Hinata, still possessing an air of dominance and strength despite the bandages and bruising that covered her form. Even so, her countenance was not that of malice or intimidation, but instead gave Hinata a sense of hospitality. It was one of those smiles which were rare to find from anybody in the elemental nations. The woman radiated with self-confidence. "Nice to meet you, Hinata. My name is Erza Scarlet."

Erza's hand extended outward to shake Hinata's own, and Hinata felt as though struggled to make her grip not seem weak in comparison. But she was a ninja. She was strong.

"Nice to meet you, Erza."

"The place looks amazing, doesn't it?" Levy chirped excitedly, salvaging Hinata from more introductions. "There's even a pool in the back. And, downstairs, there's an amusement centre! And, the biggest difference of all, the second floor. Anybody can go up there now. Although, obviously, you still need to have an S-Rank mage on your team to go on an S-Rank quest."

The pink-hair mage looked unimpressed with it all, donning a child-like moodiness on his face, and was quick to turn his attention to her. Before speaking, the mage seemed to…sniff her? "Yo!" He extended his hand forward to shake hers, his mouth splitting into a wide, bright grin. "I'm Natsu!" He beamed.

She accepted his hand, shaking it, and ignored the ache in her chest as she returned a sheepish smile. His smile was like Naruto's. There was fire in his eyes.

"Hinata, it's nice to meet you."

"If you're new, we should fight—HEY!" Natsu's sentence was cut off by his head being smacked by the dark-haired boy.

"You cant just challenge new members to fights, idiot!" He shouted (when did he take his shirt off? Was everyone this immodest here?) and kicked Natsu across the guild hall. "I'm Gray, by the way, ignore the hot-head."

"Who're you calling hot-head!" Natsu was quick on his feet again, forehead pressed against Gray's, wisps fire—fire?—spilling from his mouth. Lucy and Levy laughed awkwardly, and Hinata wasn't sure how to react at the two boys. The brewing fight was quickly quelled, however by Erza, who promptly threw them both to the ground with her backhand. The two boys cowered beneath her, spewing apologies like hurt puppies.

The scene reminded her of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura in their genin days. Natsu, childish and fiery like Naruto; Gray cool like Sasuke; Erza, strong and tempered. The ache in her chest grew.

(Pain, pain, pain, pain pain pain—)

The room began to spin again.

"-nata…? Hinata? You okay?"

Hinata returned to reality, only to come to the realisation that all of Levy's friends were looking at her with a mixture of confusion and concerned looks on their faces. Her anxiousness turned into embarrassment, and the blood that rushed to her face momentarily disorientated her.

"Excuse me." She mumbled, before running to the nearest exit she could find, ignoring the calls of Levy behind her. She accidentally bumped into a few guild members on the way out as it was suddenly far fuller than she remembered it being, but she didn't care enough to stop and apologise.

Bursting through the doors, she let herself breathe in fresh air and the wind hit her skin. The guild walls felt as though they were suffocating her. Any power she previously had to stand escaped her; her knees weakened, and she curled against the cold bricks of the wall, and onto the floor. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

Hinata did not want to be here. She wanted to be home—she wanted to be in the elemental nations with Naruto, Sakura, Kurenai, Kiba, Shino, Hanabi, Neji—Neji. Why could this fate not have been given to Neji? Why was she picked? Nothing made sense—she was horribly and utterly unremarkable and suddenly she'd been thrown into a world where nothing made sense and none of it made sense. She did not care for the guild members that walked past her and saw her in her pathetic state—not even the blonde one who wore an obnoxious amount of fur and scoffed at her as he walked through the guild doors, or the trio hot on his heels. They could throw dirt at her, for all she cared.

They didn't and would never understand how isolating this was for the Hyuuga.

"Hinata?"

Weakly, Hinata lofted her head to meet the eyes of the voice. Levy crouched down next to her. Hinata was thankful she was the only one who came out.

"I-I'm sorry. I jus-just…" The words came out jumped through heaved breaths. She cringed at the taste of salt on her tongue from her tears mixed with the blood from biting on her lip. "I want to go home."

But she couldn't.

Levy threw her arms around her and Hinata, though unused to the intimacy of the embrace—ninjas were not affectionate people, and neither were the Hyuuga—was quick to accept the hug. They remained entangled for a minute or so before Hinata's tears calmed, and Levy pulled herself away from the Hyuuga.

"Why don't we go for a walk?"

Hinata wordlessly accepted Levy's offer and dusted the dirt off her legs. She concluded she didn't like wearing such revealing clothes, not only due to the insecurity of her own body, but because of the breeze of the cold she could feel on all the wrong parts of her—and all the men staring at her with no attempt to seem subtle…she was sure some were drooling.

Levy made sure to keep her gaze above Hinata's chest, becoming flustered whenever they fell lower.

Hinata stayed silent for the majority of their walk around Fiore, ignoring the two members of Levy's team who, unbeknownst to the blue-haired girl, were stalking not too far behind, and let Levy ramble on about Fiore as she gave Hinata the tour. Even if astoundingly different to Konoha, it was beautiful, and far grander.

At some point, the two had stopped stalking them.

It was only upon reaching a park that Levy and Hinata saw the two teammates, no less with the man who reminded Hinata horribly of Madara. Levy ran up to them quickly, and Hinata followed suit.

She could tell the situation was hostile.

"What did you call me out here for?" Gajeel questioned the two. "I was just about to start work too."

"Work? Don't be stupid. You're the one who destroyed our guild!" The taller of the two, Droy, accused. Levy hovered behind a tree, watching the scene unfold, and Hinata stood ready to intervene if necessary.

She supposed she was doing what Naruto would do—what she did when Pain attacked, even if it was stupid, and even if she had no idea how chakra faired against magic.

"I don't think you should do this!" Levy intervened, "I don't care about what happened anymore."

"We have to show him who's boss!" The two retorted. Gajeel scoffed.

The fight quickly broke out, with Jet speeding forward—Hinata recalled Levy telling her his magic was speed based—and Droy—the plant mage—seemed to cause vines to sprout from the ground and chase Gajeel. Hinata noted the lack of hand-signs and the weird, rune-like projection that seemed to accompany Droy's plant magic.

She quickly activated her byakugan, ignoring the need to rest her eyes and the way her head pounded, eager to see the magic in their bodies.

Levy was too enthralled in the fight to take notice of the veins protruding on Hinata's face.

In the shades of black and white Hinata was quickly able to see the energy within them; it wasn't blue, like chakra, but a different colour depending on their magic; there was a flame in the stomach, like with chakra—but a different size depending on the individual, and Hinata could only assume that was based off magic ability, like those with bigger chakra reserves.

There wasn't a comprehensive network system like with points, a lack of tenketsu to hit. Hinata wavered.

The vines morphed into fists, punching Gajeel from all different angles.

It was only when Jet used his magic to assist his kick that Hinata noted how the magic travelled to the necessary part of the body, like with chakra, network or not. She could see how it travelled through the body, and then through the air.

Gajeel wasn't fighting back.

Hinata's byakugan made her aware of the next presence to join them. It was the same man who'd passed her earlier, when she'd been crying, with the blonde hair and fur coat. His magic was yellow, and immense in comparison to Shadow Gear and Gajeel.

Their eyes met for a moment, his seemed to linger on hers, before returning his gaze to the one-sided fight. "What kind of harassment is this?" He spoke, his voice deep and threatening, much like his appearance. Hinata was sure his size rivalled that of the Raikage.

"Laxus?" They exclaimed.

"So, this is the guy that picked a fight with my guild? I'm guessing the old man only let you join to stop you wrecking it again, right?" He strode forward. "That's why everyone mocks us, you piece of crap! On my way back here, I heard things in pubs that pissed me off!" Laxus, Hinata presumed, inched closer to Gajeel's face.

"Fairy Tail isn't so great." He imitated. "Those losers are done for!"

And, in a flash, the yellow magic seemed to overwhelm her sight, electricity spewing from Laxus and electrocuting Gajeel.

Hinata realised she was being useless again, watching from the side-lines as though she were a powerless bystander. As though she was weak.

She didn't know if it was her place to get involved; she was new to this world, new to this guild. She knew nobody—and yet, she knew Naruto wouldn't have stood by idly, even if presented with the same circumstances. He would've taken it in stride, worked to become the hero—because that was his ninja way. That was her ninja way, and yet—

Was she even a ninja anymore?

"It's because of you!" Laxus roared, sending lightning into the ground and throwing back Gajeel. The mage still made no effort to fight back.

(And it reminded her of Sakura's monstrous strength; how she tore the ground from beneath herself.

But she'd never see Sakura again. She'd never see any of them again.

She needed to stop thinking about them.)

It was too far—it was bullying, not a fair fight. And Hinata knew what she needed to do, knew what Naruto would've done, the same way he had jumped in the fight all those years ago when Hinata was being bullied, the same way she jumped in when Pain had him pinned. She wasn't as strong as Naruto, nor nearly as brave, but if he wasn't here, she needed to carry on his influence somehow. She needed to attempt to be brave.

. . .

Laxus's boot was a mere few inches away from the mage's face when he heard a fierce battle cry behind him, and narrowly missed the dark-haired girl flying toward him.

He wasn't sure why his arm burned since her fingers had barely grazed him.

The girl, with the odd, white eyes—with veins?—stood protectively over the mage's body in a battle stance he'd never quite seen before. She must've been new to Fairy Tail, as he'd never seen her before, and she dared defy him. Odd eyes or not, girl or not, she'd quickly learn what happens when a weakling challenges someone of his strength! It was a shame, really, to have to put the pretty ones in their place. So cocky.

"You can stop now." She said firmly, though her voice high-pitched and soft. "Your guildmates are begging you, y-you've made your point." A stutter, he noted, yet eyes burning with conviction. It was a strange thing to see, the girl had such a delicate face, a gentle voice, and yet she seemed to believe she was a fighter of all things. Laughable, it was laughable!

Laxus's lips tugged into a smirk, and her eyes only seemed to stare more pointedly at him, brows stitching together into a scowl. She didn't like games, it seemed. A shame, she was nothing more than something to play with.

"And who the hell do you think you are—" he let out a low, sardonic laugh "—challenging me?"

The question seemed to enrage the girl, like she'd been doubted before. Fun. And soon he'd pummel her to the ground once more!

"I'm stronger than you think."

"Then prove it."

Electricity began to cackle from his form. Something akin to blue lions seemed to engulf the girls arms and, in a movement nearly swifter than his own, the girl made contact with his body. And, though her palms never hit him, Laxus didn't miss the sensation of when the lions drifted over his form—they were sucking his magic away. The girl had never been trying to make contact!

He was quick to launch himself back, attempting to create some distance between the two, his chest burning from where the lions had grazed him, his lighting faltering and flickering as it attempted to engulf his body.

Laxus was enraged.

"Hinata!" Levy shouted, shocked, "You're amazing!"

He directed his next bolt at the girl with blue hair.

. . .

It works! It works!

Hinata stared at her hands as she felt, saw, the magic disrupted by her chakra, taking it from his body the same way her lion palms stole chakra. It'd worked! The two energies met in an amalgamation of power and mixed in a way Hinata had never quite seen before, almost like two jutsu being mixed; they danced around each other, morphing into a new, unknown different energy. Something else entirely.

"Hinata!" She looked up to Levy, who wore a look of astonishment. "You're amazing!" She exclaimed, beaming.

Then, Laxus seemed to turn on his heel to face the girl.

NO!

Just as she was about to launch herself in front of the lightning to block it, an excruciating pain coursed through Hinata's eyes and head; she'd strained them, she wasn't supposed to use them for so long! Hinata's knees buckled beneath her, dizziness overwhelming her.

It happened in a flash, and yet the lightning never seemed to hit Levy. Instead, Gajeel took the attack, his arm transforming into iron to withstand the hit. Self-sacrificing, like Naruto.

(Like Naruto, like Naruto, like Naruto! Why was all she could think about Naruto?)

"Is that enough now?" Gajeel spoke, and Laxus seemed fine to let him walk away, satisfied with his one-sided beat down. She only hoped he'd spare her the same grace, knowing she was unable to fight well with the way her eyes were now. She ignored the pain and spinning of her head, she'd experienced worse, and rushed to Levy's side. The girl stood dumbfounded, a look of fear in her eyes.

Laxus eyes fell on Hinata, his expression that of both anger and amusement. Her eyes never faltered from his, despite the way they burned and the blurriness that clouded them. "Perhaps there's some hope for Fairy Tail, after all." He spoke.

Hinata ignored his words, uncaring, focusing on Levy, whose eyes lingered on the man who saved her. It wasn't before long the blue-haired mage turned her attention back onto Hinata, gushing about her strenght and how Laxus was a supposed S-Class mage, but Hinata was still too distracted to truly pay attention; her heart ached as she took in this world, so different from her own yet constantly reminding her of people she'd never know again.

It seemed no universe was devoid of its conflicts, no matter how small. Mages, ninjas, civilians—killers or not—it didn't matter.

She still needed to figure out her place in it all.

A/N: If it's not clear, we're starting from the Battle of Fairy Tail arc. I hope this was an ok chapter! Leave me your thoughts. I still don't know what ship to do or even if there should be one, so feel free to leave reviews with suggestions aha.