A/N: FYI, Yhwach and the those Vandenreich bastards from Bleach are completely non-existent here in this fic if you're wondering. And in this fic, the Quincy and the Shinigami have no grudge against each other.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Fairy Tail.
Around that time, after healing the whole Light Team's wounds and bruises as well as explaining Ichigo's plan in detail, Ichigo and the rest have split up into groups to search for Nirvana and Oracion Seis' base. Fairy Tail's Ichigo and Erza made up for Group 1, while Group 2 consists of Fairy Tail's Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy. The ones who made up Group 3 are Lamia Scale's Jura, Lyon and Sherry. Lastly, Blue Pegasus's Hibiki, Eve, Ren and Ichiya made up Group 4...well, sort of.
"Wait, Ren... I can't see Ichiya-sama," Eve said in a worrying tone while still running. After hearing this, Ren stopped running and looked back, with Eve and Hibiki doing the same.
"Ichiya-sama! Where are you?" Ren shouted as they looked around their surroundings, but no reply was given.
"Damn, we're seperated," Hibiki said.
Somewhere in the woods, Ichiya wasn't running as he was...well, posing in the middle of a clearing in the woods.
"Ren! Eve! Hibiki! Where are you? Men~!" He shouted with his pose still intact. Unbeknownst to him, two figures appeared on a tree branch underneath him, looking at the perfume user with a maniacal grin. After a few moments, they disappeared.
...
Somewhere deeper in the woods, Uryu, Wendy and Charle are walking in a steady pace on the way to their destination where possibly the coffin of his body is hidden. On the way there, his mind kept thinking of a certain orange haired Shinigami.
He never thought Ichigo would actually survive the Karakura Massacre, considering he went...rogue before the whole country got wiped out. He heard rumours of the Moon Guardian of Fairy Tail and a Shinigami in a guild during his jobs, but it never crossed his mind that rumoured person is one Ichigo Kurosaki. The memory of him stopping the rogue Ichigo is still fresh in his mind, one he would never forget. His thoughts were interrupted when Charle called his name.
"What is it, Charle?" Uryu asked, slightly annoyed that he was interrupted.
Her arms crossed on her chest while walking, Charle said, "The Moon Guardian, how do you know him? From what I see, it seems like both of you are the best of friends who had not met for a pretty long time."
"Me? Friends with that brute?" Uryu scoffed, pushing up his glasses, "We're just acquaintances who coincidentally worked for each other before."
"So you admit that you both have known each other for a long time," Charle said, "Can you enlighten us more about the history of the both of you?"
Uryu then stopped walking after hearing that question, with Wendy and Charle follow suit. A few moments later, he looked over to his guildmates, the face expression on Charle was serious while Wendy was giving him a nervous look. Breaking the silence, Uryu asked, "Charle, have you ever heard of mages called the Quincy? Considering your intellect, you should have."
Maintaining her serious expression though she was slightly taken aback by the question, Charle answered, "I've heard of them. Quincys are mages that able to absorb and manipulate the Eternano around us into weapons. Their main weapon is bows and arrows. Using a magic device called the Quincy Cross, it acts as the focus for a Quincy bow to manifest. They were partners with the Shinigami in the Seireitei, together maintaining the peace of Karakura before they got wiped out." She then narrow her eyes, "As your attire and your form of your magic is similar to the Quincy, I'm pretty sure you are one of them before joining our guild, right?"
It wasn't entirely a question. It sounded more like a statement waiting for a confirmation, and Uryu knows it. Without hesitation, he nodded. "Kurosaki and I know each other from our fathers, with my father being a Quincy and his being a Shinigami." His expression then softened, "You know about the Karakura Winter War, right?" Charle just nodded. He continued, "Everyone was fighting to their deaths, it was a war impossible to win. The enemy was just too strong. All of my friends were killed in cold blood. We were on the verge of losing, our deaths were inevitable...until that happened..."
"W-What happened?" Wendy asked suddenly, breaking her silence, surprising Uryu, "F-From your eyes, you look sad...and fearful, Uryu-niisan. I would like to know what happened, share you feelings with us. A-Aren't we...guildmates?" Her eyes have unshed tears as she finished.
Hearing that from Wendy, a shy girl who stutters a lot when speaking, surprised Uryu a little. He gave her a small smile and patted her head, "Thank you, Wendy." He said, making Wendy smile wide. He then explain the last moments of the war to his guildmates.
...
Flashback starts two years ago
The Karakura Winter War is on its climax and fatalities are high as the others who are still alive are still fighting the nearly-immortal enemy in the name of Sosuke Aizen. With the lacrima that could dissolve the boundaries between humans and demons known as the Hogyoku, implanted in him, he is now nearly immortal as he is now in the fourth form of his fusion. In this form, he has a hole in the center of his chest, with a cross in the middle of it. The form-fitting white robe that enveloped him in his past two forms lengthens, and flares out at the ends. In this form, his irises vanish, as well as his eyebrows and the hair curl that usually hangs over his face. There appears to be a diamond-shaped object embedded in his forehead. He has also gained three sets of butterfly-like wings.
With his recruited soldiers known as Espada all but gone, only him and Gin Ichimaru are still fighting with a few survivors, consisting of Kurosaki Ichigo, Uryu Ishida, Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi Shihoin and Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father. The five of them are severely injured and fatigued pretty badly while Aizen and Gin only suffered minor cuts and bruises, or relatively untouched in Aizen's case.
The others such as Chad, Orihime, Rukia, Byakuya, and Hitsugaya had all died fighting the Espada, Gin or Aizen himself. As for Yamamoto-soutaicho, he sacrificed his life trying to kill Aizen using the forbidden Hado#96 technique, but Aizen managed to escape from the technique only suffering burns.
As for Karakura, the country was destroyed to the core. The wizard guilds that protect the North, South, East and West of the country were no match for the enemy and were annihilated. The buildings were completely trashed to nothingness, leaving nothing but level ground around them. Most of the citizens had been succesfully evacuated by the Shinigami using lacrima-powered ships, but some of them were perished as they were accidentally enter into the crossfire.
"Can't you see now, Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryu, Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Kurosaki Isshin?" Aizen said, "Your beloved country is ruined. Your friends are dead. There's nothing to fight for now. Submit yourselves to the successor of Zeref as I will take over his throne as the strongest dark mage!"
"Karakura can be rebuilt!" Ichigo shouted, "Its not only Karakura, but we fight for the whole Earthland from total destruction! Your only existence can bring danger to whole of Earthland! That's why we're still here to stop you! We are not giving up! Aizen!"
"Oh, so you didn't care about your family then?" Aizen mocked.
"Why you-!" Ichigo gritted his teeth.
"Don't let his words affect you, Ichigo!" Isshin interrupted.
"My my, so his father is protecting his son, how sweet." Aizen mocked, "Looks like they have forgotten something eh, Gin? Why don't you bring them here now?"
"Heh, yer one freakin' sadist," Gin said, "I'll bring them now," he then flash steeped away.
"What do you mean by that, you bastard?!" Ichigo sneered.
"You'll see," the traitor said. In an instant, Gin appeared with two bodies on either side of his shoulders carried like potato sacks. One of them has light brown hair while the other has raven-coloured hair. Ichigo and the others widen their eyes in shock as they instantly recognised the bodies. Gin then tossed their bodies in front of them. They saw the bodies have a large hole in their chest. A fatal wound.
"They are your lovely twin sisters right? Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen said, "They didn't make it to the ships that evacuated the citizens. They were shot with a cero blast by an Arrancar when they were trying to board the ship. What does it feel like being helpless, Kurosaki-san? What does it feel like losing you family and friends?"
"Don't listen to what he says! Ichigo!" Urahara shouted.
"Don't let him manipulate you!" Yoruichi added.
Ichigo could just stand there looking blankly at his twin sisters' lifeless bodies. His heartbeat and his breathing were starting to get erratic. His body started shaking. He was helpless, he don't know what to do. He wanted to just run and crawl himself into a corner and cry. He had lost everything. Then, he heard his voice.
Kill him, King!
He killed Yuzu!
He killed Karin!
He killed your only family!
He killed your friends!
Make him suffer!
Make him pay!
Kill him!
KILL!
And then all hell broke lose.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ichigo roars loudly as his Reiatsu flares up in rage, completely consuming him. The others except Aizen could just stare in shock, utterly speechless as Ichigo continues to roar loudly.
"Kuro...saki..." Uryu stuttered.
"Yare yare, I never expected this to happen," Gin said, his devilish grin still intact.
"Let all the anger out, Kurosaki-san," Aizen said, "Do not hold back, just give in to your darkness. Your inner hollow would be a worthy opponent to test out my powers."
"OOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ichigo roar now sounded more like a howl as he suddenly disappeared, making Aizen widen his eyes in shock with his speed. The enraged Ichigo reappeared in front of him a fires a powerful roundhouse kick on his torso, making Aizen flew 50 metres away. Aizen winced in pain as he get up holding his stomach with his left hand. He never expected that kick to be that strong.
"I-Impossible..." Yoruichi trailed off.
"He managed to land a blow on Aizen..." Urahara muttered in shock.
"Ichigo..." Isshin said in concern of his son.
As Ichigo landed on the ground, a Hollow hole rips open in his chest. He erupts into a blaze of intense Reiatsu, making the remaining survivors fall onto their knees as the pressure around them became heavy. When the Reiatsu clears up, Ichigo, in his Hollow form, roars and charges a Cero, aiming at Aizen. Past the point of coherent thought, Ichigo, roaring as he builds his Cero to maximum power, unleashes it in a destructive blast. Aizen, impressed with the power of the Cero, disappeared and appeared from the incoming Cero as it hits a still standing building, creating a massive explosion equivalent of a nuclear explosion. As the explosion dies out, they saw a massive crater was created.
Aizen looked at the crater in awe of the power the inner hollow holds within Ichigo. He then realized he can't sense Gin's Reiatsu anymore, meaning he was caught in the explosion, unable to escape in time, while the others manages to flash step to a safe distance. Before he could think of his next move, he widen his eyes in shock as Hollow Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him, his black sword raised high up in the air.
"For a second, I lost sense of his reiatsu. That wasn't a shunpo. It was sonido!" He thought. In an instant, the possessed Ichigo sliced the traitor in half vertically with a Getsuga Tensho enhanced slash, destroying the Hogyoku in the process. Making sure of his death, he charges a Cero and fires at him in point blank range, completely terminating him from the world in cold blood.
"J-Just like that, A-Aizen was..." Yoruichi trailed off in fear.
"Killed..." Urahara finished.
But Ichigo didn't stop there. Still losing control, he charged another Cero and fires it like a laser in a wide arc. The Cero made contact with the ground and create several massive explosions which reaches up all the way to the top of the sky. The explosions coloured the sky red in color, a horrific sence to watch.
"We need to stop him! But how if we can't get close to him?!" Yoruichi shouted in agony.
"Try to shoot his horns or something!" Isshin suggested. Upon hearing that, Urahara went wide eyed. He suddenly had an idea.
"Ishida-san!" Urahara called out, gaining Uryu's attention, "Try to aim at his horns! That's where his Cero genarates! We can't get close to him as he lost control so close-range attacks won't work! You're the only one we can count on!"
"Understood!" Uryu immediately manifest his bow, Ginrei Kojaku, and aim an arrow at his horns from afar. While he was aiming, he saw the possessed Shinigami was charging another Cero, this time a little larger and powerful than previous ones. Target locked, Uryu thought, "Hope we survived the aftermath after I shoot this." and with that, he shot the Eternano-made arrow, hitting the arrow spot-on, destroying one of the horns.
As one of the horns were destroyed, the Cero Ichigo had charged explodes into a large massive blast, engulfing everything in its path. The last thing Uryu and the others saw was white before they were engulfed into the explosion as well.
Flashback ends
...
"That's how you got washed ashore with all those injuries that made you enter a coma for a full two months!" Charle said in shock, finally connecting the dots.
"Yeah, thanks to Wendy here that I actually managed to survive and meet my long time rival again. Who knows what'll happen to me if she wasn't there to heal me." Uryu said while patted the blue-haired girl with a smile on his face.
"A-Ano...but you took two months to wake up, I-I thought my healing magic w-work slowly on you." Wendy stuttered.
Uryu stopped patting her head as he crouched down to her level and look at her with a soft expression, he said, "Wendy, it was thanks to you that I'm here now with you guys. And for that, I'm eternally grateful. It was thanks to you also that I started to open up now, or as Kurosaki said to me, not being a 'stick-up-the-ass' bastard anymore," Wendy giggled hearing that, he continued, "That's why I swear to protect you guys, as you're precious to me." he then placed his hand to her head, "So be confident in yourself, you're strong in your own right." he finished with a small smile.
Wendy looked at him in awe before she mouthed a 'Hmm!' to him and gave him a toothy grin. Uryu then stood back up, his smile never leave his face, "Now lets head towards our destination, I can sense it nearby!" With that, they ran towards their location, feeling lighter than before.
...
Ichigo and Erza were walking at a leisurely pace as Ichigo explained his past to the Titania, everything about him becoming a Captain to the Winter War. Erza slowly connected to dots of how Ichigo ended up on the shore behind the guild. It explained the injuries he got that made him enter a coma for three months. But there's something it didn't add up.
"What happened to the darkness inside you?" Erza asked. "It sounded like Mira's Satan Soul, just a little more bloodthirsty. What happened to it after the war?"
Ichigo's face softened as he heard that. He said, "I have no idea. Since the war, I can't feel his presence inside him anymore, he just vanished into thin air." He then scowled, "Not that it matter anyway. At least I didn't have to hear that prick's non-stop ramblings that annoys me to no end."
Satisfied with his answer, Erza just nodded. She then asked another question, "From what I heard, every Division Captain in Seireitei wears a white haori with the number of the division they lead, is that correct?" Ichigo nodded, she then continued, "Brain mentioned that you were the captain of the Fifth Division, it that correct?" slightly hesitating, Ichigo nodded, then she asked, "Where's yours then?"
Ichigo stopped walking after hearing that, his eyes were shadowed by the bangs of his orange hair. Without looking at Erza, he answered, "I keep it at my apartment, because I didn't want it to be ruined as I have only one haori." He then looked over to Erza, his face showing a uncharacteristic sad look, "It was the only memory I have from Karakura."
Erza just looked at him wide eyed. This doesn't sound like the Ichigo she knew for two years. This Ichigo sounded so sad that it makes him so out of character, a scowling, strong, determined man. She then said, "You know I was a slave back then right?"
Totally taken aback by the question, Ichigo stuttered, "W-What are you trying to say?"
"All of us in Fairy Tail has a tragic past; You losing your home, family and friends; Natsu losing his adoptive father; Gray losing his teacher; Lucy neglected by her father; Elfman and Mirajane losing their younger sister and so on. Not all of us had perfect lives before, you should know that right?" Ichigo nodded, she continued, "Because of this, we always stick to each other like a family. We are your new family, Ichigo. Our bonds will never shatter no matter what."
Ichigo just stood there speechless after hearing that. He thought back to his earlier days at Fairy Tail, from waking up at their infirmary completely bandaged, to sulking at the beach he was washed ashore for weeks, to telling the master about his past, to left the guild building to clear up his thoughts after Mirajane hugged him from behind...
Mirajane...
Other than Makarov, she knew his past as well, albeit not that detailed. She understands the pain of having an inner demon inside him. From then on, something just clicked between them, both of them having a deep understanding for each other, they care for each other deeper than anyone else. As time goes on, Mirajane started to open up to him, till the point she shared of how she lost her beloved youngest sister. Of course, Ichigo understands that pain as well, considering he lost his mother at a young age of 9 and lost his twin sisters before he went rogue.
When Ichigo thought of her, everytime he was angry, nervous, hopeless or sad, it had this uncanny ability to calm himself down. The mere thought of her is already enough to comfort him, to drive him to succeed. Her kind personality, her cute voice, her beautiful face..."wait, where did that come from?" he thought as he blushed slightly from those thoughts. As his usual blunt self, Ichigo still doesn't know why, but he knew that since they met, they created a deep bond. Now, she's an important person in his life, someone precious to protect at all costs.
He then thought about the friends he made in Fairy Tail. They were a weird, but fun bunch, and Ichigo could admit that he actually like the atmosphere of the guild. It reminded him of his days at Seireitei, where everyone was fun to talk to, a chibi Rukia to a cold Toshiro to a flirty Rangiku to a sadistic Kenpachi to the prideful bastard in the name of Kuchiki Byakuya. Like Seireitei before him, everyone in Fairy Tail was like a family to him. He still remember how he joined the guild after weeks of sulking.
Flashback starts
Its been two days since Ichigo left the guild building after he woke up for a few weeks. The conversation between him and Makarov still echoing in his mind. He told the guild master everything, from Aizen's betrayal, to his promotion as captain, to the end of the war when he lost control of his inner demon. After he told him his story, he remembered what Makarov told him.
"I may not be able to bring back your home, but I can offer you a new home to live, to start a new beginning, to protect again. Here in Fairy Tail everyone holds their own but also everyone needs to be protected, Fairy Tail is a place of laughter but every member has there own story. Natsu for example abandoned as a baby and brought up by a dragon only to be abandoned again, Gray lost his parents to a demon followed by his teacher to the same demon, Erza was a slave for a long time before she rose enough courage and fought her way out losing friends along the way. Everyone here has had a hard past but Fairy Tail is a place they can be and not be alone in this world."
After that, He briefly met Mirajane before he left the guild. She surprised him when she hugged him from behind before he could set foot at the guild exit. He still remembered what she said to him.
"I've heard what happened...You don't have to go, Ichigo. You can have a place here, you could join Fairy Tail. You don't have to be alone. You could start a new life here. Live on for your loved ones."
He continued walking until he reached a river bank which reminded him of the same river bank back in Karakura, the one his mother was lost to him. From what he could tell he was still in the city of Magnolia. It was still early afternoon. Ichigo just stood there and stared out onto the river not knowing what to do. He had lost everything, his home, his family, his friends. He vowed to protect all of them, but he failed.
"What's the point of having magic if I can't protect the ones I love!" Ichigo shouted into the sky. He slumped foward so he was on his hands and knees as tears hit the ground underneath him. "I can't protect anyone, what's the point of being a Shinigami mage if I can't even protect my friends when they need me most."
"Start a new beginning, Ichigo." Zangetsu said in his mind, "Accept Makarov's offer and find something worth protecting again. Live on for your friends."
"I-Its just that...I'm not sure what to do," Ichigo cried, "I've lost everything..."
"...You know I hate rain, right?" Ichigo just froze, "It rains in here, too. When you are moody, it becomes cloudy. When you are sad, the rain comes down... I can't stand it. Can you understand? How horrible it is to get rained on when you are all alone in an empty world? In order to prevent that from happening... I'll lend you whatever power you need! If you can trust me... I won't let one drop of rain fall from that sky! Trust me... you are not alone in battle... Ichigo!"
Those words hit home for Ichigo as he sat up and looked out over the river once again his legs crossed as he stared out into the rising sun. Ichigo thought about what Zangetsu, Makarov and Mirajane had said, to find something worth protecting. Staring into nothingness for God knows how long, he put on his haori and finally stood up as he finally made a decision. Half an hour later, he reached the building he now knew as Fairy Tail. He pushed open the doors and was surprised to see Mirajane standing at the doorway, her right arm outstretched, meaning she was going to open the door.
Putting her surprise aside, Mirajane spoke up, "I-Ichigo, what are you doing here? Have you made your decision?" Her tone slightly hopeful.
Ignoring the pink tint on her cheeks, Ichigo said, "Yeah...I've decided...to join Fairy Tail."
Flashback ends
"Don't forget I'll always be by your side no matter what, Ichigo." The deep voice of Zangetsu said in his mind.
"Of course I won't" Ichigo smirked, "You're my partner."
Ichigo then give a small smile to Erza as he said, "Thank you." with the redhead nodded back with a smile. They then took off, more determined to stop the enemy. As for Ichigo, his shoulders felt lighter as he ran, his burden of his past has been reduced after all.
...
Somewhere in the woods, Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy were running, or in Happy's case, flying as they continue to search for Oracion Seis' base. While running Natsu asked out of the blue, "Ichigo said that Wendy is a Sky Dragon Slayer... I wonder what does she eat?"
Putting her index finger on her lips, Lucy said, "Hmm...air maybe?"
"Does air taste good?" Natsu asked out of curiosity.
"How should I know how air taste like? I never even taste it before!" Lucy yelled.
"Bet it taste as good as fish," Happy said.
"Don't compare air with fish!" Lucy yelled again.
"I wonder how is that different than breathing oxygen?" Gray muttered with a sweatdrop.
"And I guess like Natsu and Gajeel, her dragon also disappeared 7 years ago," Lucy said.
"Igneel...Gajeel's and Wendy's dragon...seven years ago..." He mutters to himself as he goes into deep thought until he hit a hanging tree branch on his forehead, making him fall onto his backside "Ouch! That it! What about Laxus?!"
"Have you forgotten what Gramps said?" Gray reminded him, "he's not a real Dragon Slayer."
"Wh-What's that?!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed, pointing her index finger to the front, gaining the attention of her guildmates. All of them gasp in shock as the path ahead and the tress surrounding it were all shrouded in black.
"The trees...are black?" Gray muttered.
"Ichigo was right. Nirvana is affecting the forests." Lucy said.
"This ain't right." Natsu said.
Their senses tingled when they heard two set of footsteps coming towards their way. They looked back and saw two figures walking towards them. One of them is a massive man with slim arms and legs. His face mirrors that of a monkey, with very prominent ears. He has very long, fluffy, albeit, spiky hair, with its form being reminiscent of a long spike, with darkened ends, he doesn't seem to have eyebrows, and his guild stamp in located on his flat, large nose. In addition, he has small, strange lockings looped into his mouth and lower-lip, reminiscent of stitches. His attire seems to be loosely based off Mexican ones, given the poncho-like cape he wears, which has diamond-shaped motifs on the edges and comes with a mantle with thin strips hanging from it. He also wears striped pants and simple shoes.
The other is a large man whose face also resembles that of a monkey, with very prominent ears. He has an afro, which bears his guild stamp, paired with similar sideburns, and also sports gold teeth. He also wears sunglasses. His body is round in shape, with slim limbs, and seems to be covered in hair, as seen from his hairy hands and upper chest. His attire consists of a white tuxedo with red collar. He also wears purple-coloured shoes.
"They said its because of Nirvana, right Zatou-niisan?" The massive man said.
"Yo-hoo! Its just that terrible of a magic!" The man known as Zatou said, "The earth itself is dying, Gatou-niisan!"
As if on cue, more monkey-like humans begin to appear on branches and on land as they surrounded the Fairy Tail members.
"It's 'cause of Nirvana, right?" Gatou asked again.
"You just said that, Gatou-niisan." Zatou replied.
"Did I, Zatou-niisan?" Gatou asked.
"I-Impossible! I thought I defeated them already!" Lucy exclaimed.
"What are you talking about, Lucy?" Natsu asked.
"They are from a dark guild called Naked Mummy," Lucy replied, "They are the ones tried to rob the merchant guild Love&Lucky at Acalypha Town!"
"Oh, so you're the woman who messed up our plans in Acalypha, huh?" Zatou said.
"Tch..." Lucy gritted her teeth.
"Oh! There are more monkeys!" Natsu exclaimed while mimicking movements of a monkey.
"Monkey! Monkey!" Happy shouted as he mimic what Natsu's doing.
"We're a dark guild working for Oracion Seis, Naked Mummy!" Gatou said.
"Ehehehe, Let's play!" Zatou said as he charged up his magic ring with purple energy.
"Naked Mummy, huh?" Natsu said.
"So this is the guild Lucy defeated." Gray added. "These guys are perfect. They had come all this way to greet us all." He lips turned into a sinister grin, "We'll force them to tell us the location of Oracion Seis' base!"
"Yosh, I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted, "I need a damn good workout!"
"I'll help you, Natsu!" Happy said.
"I will defeat you again!" Lucy announced.
"Dammit, these brats are makin' fun of us!" Zatou said in anger.
"We're a dark guild working for Oracion Seis, Naked Mummy!" Gatou exclaimed loudly.
"Why do you say the same thing twice!" Natsu comically said in irritation.
"Ehhe, its over for you!" Zatou said as he shows a thumbs-down sign.
And with that, they engaged into battle.
...
At the same time, somewhere at the woods, Blue Pegasus' Hibiki, Ren and Eve are also surrounded by another new enemy. Each of the enemy has a long pointed horn made with their hair on top of their heads, reminiscing of a unicorn.
"These guys are the Dark Guild, Black Unicorn," Ren stated.
"Why are they here?" Eve wondered.
"They possibly work for the Oracion Seis," Hibiki said.
"Damn silky hair!" A spiky purple-haired mage said.
"Damn handsome men!" A long brown-haired girl mage said with her arms crossed.
"Prepare yourselves!" another mage warned.
...
And as you may expect, Lyon, Jura and Sherry are in the same situation. Each of their enemy they're facing now wears similar clothing with a red hood and holds a wooden staff in their hands.
"These people are from Red Hood." Jura stated.
"Where were they hiding?" Lyon wondered.
"I can't believe they ambushed us like this," Sherry whined.
"That's the Wizard Saint, Jura!" one of the Red Hood's mages exclaimed.
"Defeating him would make an excellent trophy!" Another mage added.
...
And of course, Ichigo and Erza are no different. Each of the enemy wears a similar white uniform, with each of the uniform was customized to their taste. For some reason, Ichigo felt a little nostalgic.
"These people are from the dark guild, Hollow Night," Erza told him, "Be careful, they work for the Oracion Seis, so don't underestimate them."
"Las Noches, eh?" Ichigo mused as he grabbed the hilt of his sword on his back, "Heh, looks like I'm gonna have fun defeating you."
"Looks like the Titania is here," one of them said.
"And look! The Moon Guardian's here too!" another said.
"Defeating them would made us famous," a third one stated.
...
"Men!~"
And... Ichiya as well...albeit a little injured as he was cornered by a dark guild (A/N: I've no idea about the name of that guild, the manga never mentioned it.) to a large boulder waving his hands frantically, telling them not to hurt him
"Wait..." Ichiya pleaded, "I got seperated and now I'm all alone...so I'm definitely not anyone suspicious...Men!~" he finished with a pose.
...
Deep in the woods, Uryu was carrying a tired Wendy on his back with Charle flying next to him as he walked towards his destination. He could felt his magic signature getting stronger he went deeper into the woods, signifying he was closer now.
He could not fail the task Roubaul-sama had bestowed upon him, which is to destroy Nirvana. Since the day he woke up from his coma, because of his abilities as a Quincy to identify spirits, he knew at first sight that Master Roubaul was a spirit, while the whole guild people were illusions created by the old master. Each illusionary being he created possessed its own personality and feelings, which surprised Uryu a lot, saying it was a frightful magic after being told.
He remember the day he told the master bluntly that he found out that the master was a spirit in his office a few days after he woke up in a coma, surprising him. He began to tell the Quincy that he was a member of the Nirvit tribe 400 years ago and the creator of a powerful Magic called Nirvana. A magic which should have been used to stop the wars ravaging the country. With the Nirvit inhabiting it as their home, Nirvana became a symbol of peace. However, all of the darkness it removed from its targets eventually took over the ones residing inside it, causing to slaughter each other till he was the only survivor, but, eventually died as well due to his injuries. He lingered on as a spirit in order to watch over Nirvana, waiting for someone capable of destroying it, something he couldn't accomplish.
Then he went on to explain on how, despite having sworn to live in solitude, one day, around seven years ago, a boy with a tattoo on his right eye came carrying a young girl, asking him to take care of her. Of how he could not decline after having been struck by the boy's clear and earnest gaze, he took Wendy in. He also explained as to why he lied to Wendy about the guild, as he did not want to disappoint her when she asked if he was the master of a guild. After saying that he was, he created the Cait Shelter Guild through the use of his powerful illusions, in order to make the girl happy.
After hearing the story, Uryu just there dumbfounded, unable to believe what he had heard. After a tense moment of silence, he promised Roubaul that in his pride as a Quincy, he would protect Wendy, destroy Nirvana and help the spirit to join his friends in the afterlife. Since then, he became an official member of the guild, protecting Wendy and helping her to be strong, along with Charle. It was the beginning of his new life after Karakura. Thinking back, destroying Nirvana was a tall order, possibly nearly impossible, but now, with the alliance helping him, and reunited back with his old rival, it can be possible after all. Now that he thought about the orange Shinigami, he wonder about the situation of the other three who was alive before Ichigo went rogue. Since Ichigo survived the war, he couldn't help but hoping the other three also survived as well. His thoughts were broken as he heard Wendy's voice.
"Uryu-niisan, are we there yet?" Wendy mumbled cutely.
"Soon, Wendy. Soon enough." Uryu replied.
"How far should we go now?" Charle said, a tone of irritation in her voice, "We've been walking and running for ages now."
"We'll reach our destination soon enough," Uryu reassured her, "Its nearby."
"That's what you said five minutes ago!" Charle yelled.
Ignoring the loud ramblings of Charle, Uryu scanned the area while walking, when something caught his attention at the corner of his left eye. He turned towards that direction and saw a cave a few yards away. Using his sensory abilities, he could sense a faint signature of the destructive magic, Etherion in that cave. He inwardly smirked. There's no mistaking it, his body's in there.
"Charle, grab hold of me!" Uryu ordered.
Slightly taken aback by the order, Charle just complied, and asked," What are y-". She didn't finished her sentence as they disappeared and reappeared on front of the cave. Meanwhile, Charle was comically dizzy with swirls in her eyes as she tried to regain balance from the aftermath of his Hirenkyaku.
After regaining her balance, Charle narrow her eyes and glare at the Quincy, as she pointed at him and screamed "You should have warn me before you use that technique! That's the second time I got dizzy 'cause of that! Why you-"
"Yeah yeah, I get it," Uryu interrupted, and the white cat just glare at him sharper, "I'll warn you next time." He then turn his attention towards the cave ahead of him. He could feel the magic signature pretty clearly now. Yup, this is the location he was looking for.
"Wendy, we're here now." Uryu softly said.
"O-Ok, nii-san." Wendy replied. He then crouched down and put down the little girl on her feet.
He stood up and they walked towards the entrance of the cave. As they were about to enter the cave, Uryu widen his eyes as he suddenly felt a malicious intent coming fast towards them. "Killing intent!" he thought as he immediately avoided an axe kick coming from above. The figure then disappeared and reappeared behind Uryu. Sensing him, Uryu used Hirenkyaku to avoid a roundhouse kick aimed at his head and reappeared beside the figure and instantly punched him on the cheek, sending the figure flying a few metres away. Recovering from the blow, the figure and Uryu engaged in close combat as they trade punches and kick, flickering and blurring while doing so.
"W-What's with their speed?!" Charle shouted, "Its impossible to follow their movements!"
"Uryu-niisan..." Wendy said in worry.
The speedy exchange stopped as Uryu reappeared at the cave entrance beside Wendy and Charle while the figure stood opposite him.
"Wow, you're fast! Fast is good!" the figure said, "But I'm the fastest!"
Uryu gritted his teeth as he recognize the face of the figure in Hibiki's archive. "Racer..." he called out.
"You see, I can't let you go into that cave and take what's ours," Racer said, "I'll have to defeat you, with speed!"
"Wendy! Charle!" Uryu called out, "Run into the cave and take cover! I'll come soon enough!"
"Bu-But-!" Wendy wanted to protest, but was interrupted by Uryu.
"I said go in!" Uryu shouted. Wendy cringed at tone. She wanted to told him she wants to fight to, but before she could do that, Charle pulled her hand and ran into the cave.
"Just follow what he says!" Charle told her, "We would get in his way!"
"H-hai!" Wendy unheartedly complied and ran with her.
"I told you I won't let you get into the cave!" Racer shouted as he disappeared from sight, but reappeared when he was shot by a magic arrow onto his torso and was sent flying a few metres away as he landed on his back. He winced in pain as he groggily stood up, holding his stomach with his right hand. Looking at Uryu, he widen his eyes as he saw him wielding a spider-web shaped bow made of Eternano on his right hand.
Uryu just smirked as he said, "Now, lets see who's the faster mage. Racer or Quincy?"
Dun Dun Dun Dun! Cliffhanger! Uryu vs Racer in next chapter! Who will emerge victorious? Find out in the next chapter! R&R!