Mountain top, 4 miles north of Magnolia. 1:35 am
Ichigo was taking deep, gasping breaths as he leant on his sword for support. His body was covered in uncountable bruises and cuts. Every muscle screamed out in protest when he tried to stand up but he grit his teeth and did his best to ignore it. He had been at this for hours and the end seemed no closer than we he began. To make matters worse, Zangetsu had started steadily losing his patience.
Shattered swords littered the battlefield. Zangetsu walked closer to Ichigo, crunching the fragments underfoot. "I grow tired of you wasting time Ichigo. If you will not grasp the will to wield this power, then I will drag it out of you!"
The angry sword spirit charged Ichigo, who was only barely able to get the mock blade up in time. The force of the impact threw him backwards several yards before he was able to skid to a stop. When Zangetsu rushed him again, he swung back at the man with all his strength. Zangetsu simply batted the sword away with the back of his hand. Ichigo lost his grip and the sword flew out of his hands, promptly shattering against the cliff face. Zangetsu used the opening and delivered a devastating palm strike to Ichigo's chest causing the teen to once again shoot backwards.
Ichigo coughed up a mouthful of blood as he dragged himself to his feet. Looking up he could see Zangetsu glaring at him in disappointment. His anger and frustration boiling over, Ichigo couldn't stop his sudden outburst.
"God damn it! I'm giving this all that I've got! I'm doing my best!" He roared.
Zangetsu didn't falter and brought his sword back and threw it at speeds that Ichigo was only barely able to dodge. The sword embedded itself into the stone inches to the side of Ichigo's head. It was at this point that Ichigo lost sight of his foe for a split second before he reappeared just in front of Ichigo with one hand on the hilt of his discarded weapon, and the other cocked back ready to deliver a punch at Ichigo's head.
"Your best isn't good enough!" The spirit shouted in an uncharacteristic display of anger.
The stone exploded outward from the force behind the punch. As the dust cloud settled over the area and hid the combatants from view. After a moment, Ichigo jumped out from the cloud holding a new blade. He focused all of his attention on the cloud, waiting for the spirit to reveal himself. He did not have to wait long.
Zangetsu came rocketing at him and began the assault in earnest.
Ichigo could only do his best to keep his focus sharp and his blade between himself and the relentless slashes seeking to cut him to ribbon.
"Time and time again you refuse to realize your power of your own volition!"
A vicious swipe from the left threw Ichigo off balance and sent him stumbling to the side.
"Always relying on others to drag your strength from you."
Ichigo spun as fast as he could to block the incoming uppercut slash.
"Laxus! Shiro! ERZA! You refuse to reach your own potential until someone else forces you to! And I will not tolerate this anymore!"
Zangetsu brought a powerful slash down on top of Ichigo's sword and locked their blades together. Ichigo held his ground and used the brief lag in combat to catch his breath.
"So what! What do you expect me to do? I've been fighting you like this for months now and you keep telling me that there's something I'm not getting! Yet you refuse to tell me what it is that I'm failing at!"
Zangetsu was quiet and thoughtful for a moment before speaking with a very solemn tone. "You are failing to understand what is at stake Ichigo." The spirit backed off and let his sword rest at his side. "Make good use of this break to recover while I attempt to put this into perspective for you."
Ichigo nodded and let himself fall back on his haunches. He took shaky breaths and let his adrenaline fade as he gave Zangetsu his full attention.
Satisfied that Ichigo was paying attention, Zangetsu began his lecture. "Do you know what it would mean for you to lose to Shiro? To fail to complete this training? You will lose yourself to him. Your free will, your sense of identity, every aspect of yourself will submit to his will."
Ichigo nodded. This was something he had reasoned from what Shiro had said about taking over his body. The idea terrified him and was what was driving him to complete this training.
"I don't think I need to explain what happens to you. But have you spent any time thinking about what that will mean for others. I've no doubt Shiro has hinted at his plans for what he wants to do once in control of your body."
Ichigo scowled at the memory of his disturbed other half and his sickening laughter at the thought of the "fun" he would have.
"He will hurt those close to you. The members of Fairy Tail, they will pale against the power that he possesses. He will take extreme satisfaction from their pain and deaths. He will eradicate whole cities on a whim. None will be spared from his savagery. And they will all think that you are their tormentor."
Looking at the ground, Ichigo could feel his emotions running higher as the lecture went on. 'I cant let that happen. I won't!'
"Even Erza will suffer his wrath. You may have started to realize wonderful new feelings for her, but it is for this reason that she will suffer worse than any other. He will use the specialness of your connection with the girl to destroy her. Do you hear me? If you fail she will suffer immensely before dying at the hands of the one person she cares for most, YOU!"
With eyes widening in horror and rage, Ichigo glared up at Zangetsu. His partner took this as a sign that he was ready to continue, and took on a battle ready stance. Ichigo jumped up to his feet and brought his sword in front of him. His energy flared around him with his rage and determination.
Zangetsu watched this and felt content that they had finally reached the point of no return. Either Ichigo would succeed now, or all would be lost. "Lets go Ichigo." At his words, multiple versions of Zangetsu began to fade into existence on the surrounding landscape. "One last time."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes and took one final calming breath. Giving one last thought to all those depending on him, most of all Erza, he hardened his gaze and ran at the nearest opponent.
"RaaaaaaAAAAAAGGGGHHH"
Fairy Hills Girls dormitory, 2:15 am
Erza lay wake, staring at the ceiling above her bed. She had known that sleep would be difficult tonight, but this was starting to get a bit ridiculous. If she didn't manage to fall asleep soon, she would be exhausted for her meet up with Ichigo in the morning. With a huff she pushed the covers off of her body and swung her legs off the bed.
"I just need to get some fresh air to calm down." She spoke to herself.
She pulled on a night gown, and made her way out into the hall. The building was unusually quiet this late at night. She found it to be quite peaceful. The stillness gave her a sense of calm and helped clear her cluttered mind. Her footsteps made soft taps on the wood floor as she quietly tiptoed out the door.
On her way out she suddenly ran into a wall of books knocking them and herself to the ground.
"Ah!" Levi cried as she fell backwards. "Ooowwwww."
Erza picked herself up off the ground and lent over to help up the smaller girl. "Sorry. Are you alright Levi?" After the girl was up the two leant down to collect the discarded books.
"Yeah I'm alright." She said as she started filling her arms back up with books. "I should have been watching where I was going." She chuckled in a bit of embarrassment.
Erza shook her head and grabbed the last book. "Nonsense. You had your hands full, it was my fault. What were you doing just coming back at this hour?" she asked as she held the door open for the girl.
"Actually I just got back to town. I had gone to visit the Library in Hargeon to get a few books." Levi said cheerfully.
Erza looked at the stack of books that was taller than the short blue haired girl. 'She calls that a few?' Shaking her head in amusement she decided to walk with her to make sure she didn't drop her load again.
"Why are you up this late Erza?" Levi asked innocently.
Erza grimaced slightly before speaking up. "Uh I was having trouble getting to sleep. Thought I might get some fresh air."
Levy groaned in understanding. "I can understand that. I've got some honey and tea in my room if you like. It might help." She offered
Erza thought about the offer and decided that some tea could help her calm her nerves. Turning to open the door to Levy's room for her, Erza nodded. "Some tea would be lovely, thank you."
The two girls walked into the small room that was a library on it's own. The walls were covered with shelves, all of which were full of books. Erza was always impressed by the sheer volume of the collection every time she saw it. She always compared it to the size of her armor collection, though the latter took up far more space.
Levy sat the books down next to a desk to read later and walked over to her stove to put a kettle of water on. Coming back to where Erza was, she gestured to a small table for the two to sit. As the girls took their seats Levy took the lid off a dish that contained a dozen small wafer cookies. "So any particular reason you're having trouble sleeping?"
Erza blushed a bit and started to stutter. "Um uh. Well you could say I've got a lot on my mind tonight."
"Hmm?" Levy raised her eyebrows questioningly. "What exactly are you so worried about? If you don't mind me asking."
Erza grimaced and shrunk back in her seat. She still wasn't exactly comfortable talking to other people about this. It was bad enough that she had spent most the afternoon talking with Cana and Mira about this. 'On the other hand, Levy is probably one of the most mature people in the guild. And with as much as she reads, surely she might have something helpful to say.'
She looked up noticing that Levy was waiting patiently for an answer. Giving in for the second time that day, she leaned on her elbows and put her chin in her hands. "Alright, I guess I'm having, boy troubles. Or more specifically, a boy is the reason I'm restless tonight."
Levy was a bit surprised to hear this. She wouldn't exactly say she knew the armored wizard well, but she didn't think Erza was the type to be interested in romance. "Wow really? Who is it?"
Now Erza was surprised. Everyone had been telling her how obvious it was that she and Ichigo liked each other. Had the book worm really not noticed?
"Um it's actually Ichigo."
Levy smiled brightly as her eyes sparkled slightly. "Aww. Two courageous swordsmen falling for each other. That's so romantic."
"R Really? You don't think its awkward, us being friends?" Erza asked.
"Of course not. I've read my fair share of romance novels, and the ones that always have the best endings are the ones that show a romance between best friends." Levy got up from the table to take the kettle off of the heat and poured some tea into two cups and brought them back to the table.
"What did Ichigo do that's keeping you up?"
Erza took a sip of her tea and immediately felt herself relaxing. "Well. It isn't anything he's done. It's something I plan to do." She paused to take another sip of her tea. "To make a long story short, I've recently realized that what I feel for Ichigo is more than just friendship. It is for this reason that I've planned to meet with him tomorrow morning to confess my feelings to him."
Levy nodded in understanding. "So you're nervous about tomorrow and you're nerves are keeping you up."
Erza nodded and sighed in frustration. "Yes and if I can't manage to get to sleep soon, I'll be exhausted for our meet up tomorrow."
Levy sipped from her cup and smiled meekly. "Well hopefully the tea will help you relax."
Erza nodded and went back to quietly sipping her tea. The two girls shared their drinks in a comfortable silence until they both finished their respective cups. Levy took the empty cups back to her kitchen and turned back as Erza was standing up to leave. "I hope this was helpful for you and that you can manage to get some sleep now."
Erza smiled and thanked the girl before heading out into the hall and back to her own room. She quietly closed the door behind her and crawled into bed.
As she lay her head down on her pillow she looked over to her nightstand. On top was a small framed picture that Reedus had painted for her when she had passed her S class exam. The picture was an image of her and Ichigo smiling and celebrating. They looked so happy together.
Erza smiled and brought the blanket up snug around herself. 'Tomorrow I'll tell him everything. I just hope he feels the same.' She thought, as she finally felt her body relax and drift to sleep.
Zangetsu looked down upon Ichigo's unconscious form. The boys clothing was in tatters and most of his body was covered in slowly healing slashes. The fight had ended nearly an hour ago, and Zangetsu had instantly started healing the boy.
"To have fought for so long is quite impressive. I'm sorry that I had to put you through this. Forgive me Ichigo." Zangetsu spoke to his young partner.
"So are we done lying to him and making him think I'm a crazy murdering rapist?" Shiro spoke as he manifested behind his fellow spirit. "Cause it looks to me like this is over."
Zangetsu didn't acknowledge him for several minutes. "He needed something to motivate him."
Shiro smirked as he looked at the body of his colored counterpart. "Well at least your plan to dedicate him to training payed off."
Zangetsu looked down at the sword impaled through the left side of his chest. Ichigo had driven the sword through him with his last moments of consciousness.
"Indeed. He was able to defeat me and has succeeded in this training."
Shiro's playful smirk turned serious as he brought his attention back to Zangetsu. "Then you'll do as we agreed? You'll teach him bankai?"
"Yes. When he is recovered, I will teach him our true name. Now, It is time we returned. HE needs as much rest as he can get before the coming day."
Zangetsu slowly faded from existence and returned to his usual form next to Ichigo's body. Shiro continued to look down at the boy in contemplation.
"With this we will be stronger. You had better be damned appreciative." With his last words spoken, Shiro faded into a white fog that flowed over Ichigo. When the haze disappeared, all of the young man's wounds had completely vanished.
As silence fell over the land, the first light of the sun could only barely start to be seen coming over the horizon.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the morning dew evaporated from the world. Ichigo slowly opened his eyes as he felt the morning heat warming his body. He felt strangely good. Which was odd considering the last thing he remembered was incredible pain followed by losing consciousness. Looking down he started to take stock of the state he was in.
'Well my clothes are pretty much trash at this point.' He thought as he held up the tattered remains of his shirt. 'But what happened to all of my injuries? Shouldn't I be bleeding at least a little?'
'Are you complaining?' Shiro questioned from his inner world. 'Cause I can but all those cuts back if you'd like.'
'You are the last person I wanna talk to first thing in the morning.' Ichigo mumbled. Sitting up and looking around, he noted that the sun was still relatively low in the sky. 'Probably only 9:30 or 10'
"Yo berry boy." Ichigo looked off to his right and saw Laxus approaching from a trail. "What are you doin out here?"
Ichigo pulled himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. His back was stiff from sleeping on the hard rock and he stretched a bit. "Must have just fallen asleep out here while I was training. What about you?" he asked slightly hostile at the nickname Laxus continued to use for him.
Laxus ignored the question and looked around at the surrounding area. "Training huh? Must have been some pretty intense shit judging by what you did to this place."
"Well the terrain wasn't the only thing that got torn up." Ichigo said holding out his arms causing his shredded shirt to flap.
The older man lifted an eyebrow at this. "Damn." He said with a smirk. "Now I really am curious."
Ichigo thought for a moment. 'Couldn't hurt to tell him a bit.'
"Okay, but I've kept your secret mr. dragon slayer, I need you to keep this one." Laxus nodded so Ichigo told a quick summary of how he had been battling his sword spirit and how towards the end, multiple versions of him.
By the end, Laxus was chuckling a bit. "Ha. Explains why you look like you went head first through a meat slicer." Laxus shifted the pack on his back and turned towards the city. "Well did it pay off?"
Ichigo gathered up the few things he had brought and fell in line next to the blonde. "I'm actually not certain of that yet." He said, realizing that even though he had managed to strike Zangetsu, the zanpakuto had not told him if it had been enough.
"Well it would be a bit depressing if you did that and got nothing to show for it." Laxus said as they headed into town.
'More than you realize.' Ichigo thought to himself. They walked on a bit in silence until Laxus spoke up.
"So I heard Gildarts was supposed to get back yesterday. Any news."
Ichigo scowled. "Yeah he did. Master apparently has something important for him so I'm going to take his place on the search." He said it with as little emotion as he could.
Laxus wasn't often serious with Ichigo, he often liked to agitate the boy, but this news came as a bit of a shock. "So are you and Erza leaving soon then?"
Looking down at the ground, Ichigo's scowl deepened. "No. Just me."
Laxus grunted in understanding. "How mad did Erza get about that?"
"She doesn't know. I'm meeting her for this morning to tell her about it."
"Well then you better hustle. You look like shit." Laxus punched him in the shoulder hard enough to make him stagger.
"Gee thanks." Ichigo said sarcastically. Regardless he took the advice and flashstepped his way towards Magnolia and his apartment.
As the river came into view, he slowed his pace and jogged up the street until he reached the red building and hopped up his stairs two at a time until he reached his door. It was a small little studio apartment but he enjoyed the view of the river and how close to the guild it was. He also did not have very many actual belongings so he had no reason to want more space.
Leaning Zangetsu next to the door, he headed to the bathroom and pulled off his torn clothes to shower. As he waited for the water to heat up, he mentally started to prepare for his discussion with Erza.
'Okay, I guess I'm pretty set on going. And I don't think she should come with me. No. This has to be something I do on my own. Which she is going to be pretty upset about.'
He hung his head and moped as he used his hand to test the water. Still a bit cold.
"Maybe if I explain to her that this could be my only chance to unravel some of the mystery of how I got here. She might be a bit more understanding then and if I come back as fast as I can it might not hurt her too bad."
The water was finally up to his standards and Ichigo slipped into the warm steam and worked at a quick pace to get all of the grime off of him. It was an annoying process due to the amount of dried blood that clung to his skin and hair. But he slowly cleared his being of it and stood under the water for a minute thinking to himself.
'But none of this even takes into account my feelings for her. Could I really leave her behind and not get to see her till I get back?' he supposed that if she did feel the same way, it would be almost insulting for him to try and tell her to stay behind.
"Damnit why does everything have to always be a pain in the ass?" He growled out, his frustration echoing off the walls within the shower. "Well it will only make it worse if I piss her off by being even later than I already am."
He shut off the flow of water and patted himself dry. Back in his room, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a white V-neck t shirt. Looping Zangetsu's strap over his shoulder, he locked the door and jogged down the stairs and outside. Once his feet hit the cobblestones, he jumped up onto the air and flashstepped his way across the roofs making a bee line for Fairy Hills. He really opened up the throttle and felt the rush of acceleration in the brief instants that his feet touched the tiles of roofs.
'Wow. That training must really be starting to pay off. I'm faster than ever! Thank god cause it feels like Erza is waiting for me.'
As Ichigo was approaching Erza was sitting on the front steps of Fairy Hills waiting for the young man to pick her up for their…. Date? Normally she would be quite upset with how long he had been making her wait, however It gave her extra time to wake up. She had barely slept the night before and she was certain that she looked exhausted. She had done her best to cover up the bags under her eyes, but she knew how crabby she could get when tired and snapping at Ichigo would be one of the least productive things she could do today.
She had gotten up that morning and decided that it might be smart to dress up a bit. After all, attraction is a large part of romance she reasoned. She had spent most of the morning picking an outfit, which was all the more impressive considering the small selection of clothing that she owned that wasn't armor. In the end she had gone with a black low cut top and a light brown leather Jacket, both of which were cut to show off her midriff. She had gone with a mid-thigh black skirt and knee high boots. She had decided to let her hair stay down and all in all she was quite satisfied with her look. It wasn't overly dressy, but she felt it suited the semi casual feel of the occasion.
And so here she was, looking hot, sleep deprived, waiting on a very late strawberry, and not even having it in herself to be angry at him. "Ugh I do wish he would get here though. I wonder what's holding him up."
It turned out she didn't have to wait much longer as she looked down just in time to see Ichigo blur into existence just in front of the steps. "Ichigo. I didn't sense you coming. How did you get here so fast?" She was a bit surprised because up until now she had always been able to feel him approaching even when he was using his flashstep if he started far enough away.
Ichigo smiled as he watched her stand up and walk down the stairs. "Well actually I think it's the training paying off. I can tell how much faster I am now. I was able to get from my apartment all the way here in just a couple minutes." He boasted slightly.
Erza stood in front of him and examined him thoroughly. 'He doesn't seem to be injured at all, even his wound from yesterday looks like it's gone.' While she was looking over him she started to notice a subtle change to the nature of his power. It seemed more refined. It still had a certain wild and chaotic nature to it, but she almost felt as if it was more of a controlled chaos.
"Ichigo is this a result of you finishing your training?" She asked looking up to face him.
Ichigo shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Well I think so, but I can't be sure. I passed out before Zangetsu told me anything, and he hasn't said anything as of today."
"I guess as long as you won't have to go through more of that then it doesn't matter too much." She reasoned with him. "So it's a bit late for breakfast at this point, how does brunch sound?"
Ichigo grinned and patted his stomach. "Honestly any food sounds good. I'm starving."
Erza chuckled and took the lead while Ichigo fell in next to her. "Well there is a nice little café that opened up recently. It looks nice enough and they have plenty of patio seating so we can enjoy the weather." She suggested.
Ichigo looked slightly confused. "I haven't heard anything about a new restaurant."
"I'm not surprised. It only opened a couple weeks ago after you had already started your training." She answered for him. "Although it is also on the complete other side of town than the guild."
"Well do you want to take the quick way?" Ichigo said, offering her his arm.
Erza grimaced and folded her arms. "I'd rather not. I know you like getting around like that, but it's so disorienting sometimes."
Frowning, Ichigo scratched his head. "I thought you had said you were getting used to it." He could have sworn that Erza had started handling traveling by flashstep a lot better the last few times he had taken them anywhere. "Come on Erza if that place really is on the other side of town then it'll take a while to walk there. It would be just a quick minute and we'd be there if you let me use flashstep."
Erza groaned and wrapped her arms around herself a bit tighter. True she had gotten used to it but that wasn't her real reason. Her outfit of choice today exposed a good deal more than her usual outfit, and using flashstep would mean Ichigo would have to carry her. The thought of having to hold on to him like that was already making her cheeks heat up.
"Can we please just walk?" She pleaded.
Ichigo scratched at the back of his head but shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Alright if you really want to. I suppose it's for the best seeing as I don't actually know where we're going." He gave her a big smile and started to turn toward the city.
Erza matched his stride and continued to examine his behavior. He was walking tall and confidently. She had always respected that about him though ever since he had begun his training, he seemed to be less and less like himself. It made her smile to see him already getting back to his old self. Curiosity however, won out.
"Ichigo." Said red head turned to face her as she spoke. "Now that your training is over, I'd like if you could tell me why you were going to such extremes. You promised you would tell me once it was done." She tried to sound a bit more stern than she truly felt.
Ichigo thought back to his promise from the previous day. He knew that he still had one last step to take in order to truly be done. That was to confront Shiro and defeat his alter ego, thus claiming dominance of his soul. 'I'm going to be leaving her soon though, so if I don't tell her now I won't ever get the chance.'
He took a breath and glanced over at her. She was simply looking at him, hopeful and a bit expectant. It really was cute.
Ichigo shook his head. 'Man either I really do have a crush on her or Shiro has gotten a lot less perverted with the thoughts he sends my way.' He thought as he caught himself admiring his female companion.
"Well Erza to be completely honest with you I'm not entirely finished." Ichigo said trying to figure out how to proceed.
Erza's expression fell slightly but Ichigo quickly reassured her. "But don't worry I am going to tell you what's going on. It's just not going to be something you'll like hearing and I don't really like the idea of talking about it."
Erza nodded in understanding. "Ichigo whatever it is I want to know. I won't hold any of it against you no matter what. You mean the world to me and I just want to know what is troubling you so much." Looking between them she took Ichigo's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Ichigo blushed a bit but smiled. Taking a deep breath he prepared his explanation. "You remember the other spirit I have? Shiro?"
Erza scowled slightly. Even though she had technically never met the albino, she had a deep dislike of him from the things Ichigo had told her about. "Yes. What does this have to do with him?"
Ichigo looked away from her and up the street ahead of them. "Everything. You see, he isn't just another person living in my soul. He is the embodiment of my instinct. While that might not seem bad, raw instinct with no filter and no conscience has led to him being incredibly violent." Ichigo held a bit tighter to Erza's hand. "And he's not content to just tag along while I'm in control of our soul. He wants to take over."
Erza gasped slightly and slowed her pace. "You mean… He is going to try and take over your body?"
Ichigo shook his head. "Not just my body, my entire being. Everything that I am everything that makes me me. What's worse is he plans to use my body and power to hurt everyone I care about." He looked at the ground with clear anger in his eyes. "Especially you."
Ichigo's grip on Erza's hand tightened to the point of being slightly painful causing the girl to wince. Realizing what he'd done, Ichigo stopped walking and pulled his hand away. "Sorry about that."
Erza moved her hand a bit to work the pain away. "It's okay Ichigo. You were just frustrated with the situation." She looked him in the eyes and stepped back closer to him. "So this training with Zangetsu, It's all been in preparation to face off with Shiro?"
Ichigo nodded and Erza continued.
"God I'm such a fool. The entire time I was nagging you to stop… I never realized what kind of pressure you must have been under. The idea of losing your free will to another is…. terrifying." She felt truly awful. He was her best friend. Hell last night she even admitted to having romantic feeling towards the young man, and she couldn't even see the suffering he must have going through.
She would have continued to berate herself but Ichigo interrupted her thoughts by grabbing her hand in his again.
"Erza don't be mad at yourself. I kept it from you for a reason. I thought that if I told you what could happen to me that you would be afraid of me." He shifted his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "And you were helping me the whole time. You just didn't realize it. If it weren't for your constant first aid, I never would have been able to keep going. And it was thoughts of you and what would happen to you if I failed that got me back up on my feet every time I fell."
Ichigo's smile was incredibly genuine and Erza couldn't help but smile back at him. She pulled his hand closer and hooked her free arm around his. "Alright. Thank you for telling me, I know it wasn't easy. Just promise me that you'll let me know when it comes time for you to face him. That way, even if I can't help you directly, I can still be there to support you."
Ichigo felt a bit of guilt rising up in his chest but he kept it hidden and simply nodded. 'This is going to be a really crappy day.'
The rest of the walk was comprised of a comfortable silence. Erza opted to simply hold Ichigo's hand and let go of the rest of his arm as they walked. Not many people were in the streets and the city was quiet. It was a nice change from the usual hustle and bustle. Before long Erza spoke up and stated that their destination was just around the next block.
As the duo rounded the corner, Ichigo spotted a small café that he didn't recall having been there before. It's design was fairly minimalistic. The outside was painted white with dark blue shutters on the windows. A black painted fence surrounded a patio with about a dozen tables arranged with white table cloths. There was a small sign next to the door with the hours and special written in chalk. He had to admit, it did seem like a nice little place.
When the two approached, a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties stepped out to greet them. "Hello. My name is Amiya. How may I help you today?"
"Could we get a table for two? Outside if that's alright." Erza asked.
The woman nodded and grabbed two menus from inside before leading them a small table on the patio. She placed the menus in front of them and pulled out a note pad. "Now unfortunately our brunch just ended, but we have a full lunch menu. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"Just water for me." Ichigo said.
Erza however took a moment to look over the menu. "I'd like an iced tea. Earl grey if you have it."
The waitress nodded and walked away to place their orders. The two teens looked over the menu and once they had both made up their minds sat quietly waiting for their drinks.
Erza watched as Ichigo took in the aesthetics of the new building. The main purpose of this meeting was coming back to her and a faint warmth still lingered on her hand. She felt as if she had butterflies in her stomach and her heart was racing in nervousness. She did her best to try and find her resolve and went over some of the lines she had practiced.
"S so Ichigo. I wanted to come here today to talk to you about something." She managed to get out with only a little stutter.
Ichigo looked at her and thought for a second. "Oh right! What the master wanted to talk to me about yesterday."
Erza was thrown off her practiced speech by this and did her best not to get flustered. "Yeah. Yeah that."
Now it was Ichigo's turn to feel the tightening of his stomach. He had not been looking forward to this conversation. "Well I have a couple things I think I have to tell you along with that." Ichigo went quiet for a moment as their drinks arrived and they placed their orders. Once the waitress had left again he clasped his hands together on the table and leant on his elbows. "I'm not exactly sure how you'll react to this to be honest." He chuckled a bit as he stuttered his way through.
'Why does he seem so nervous? I'm the one who has to pour my heart out today. What could the master have told him that he's this nervous to talk about?' Erza thought to herself.
"Before I continue I need you to not interrupt me cause I'm not sure how to say all of this so it's just gonna all come out." He waited for several second before looking directly into her eyes. "Erza, Shiro isn't planning to target you just because we're friends. It's more than that. It's because of what you mean to me."
Erza's breath paused as she comprehended his words and body language. 'What I mean to him…. The nerves, the way he's talking. Is he…?'
"I'm not exactly sure when it started to change, I only really became aware of it recently, but I don't look at you the same way anymore. I've started to feel something more for you. I don't know quite what this feeling is, but I have a pretty good idea." His cheeks were red and his hands were shaking slightly. "I can't honestly say that I just look at you as a friend anymore. You mean more than that to me."
Erza was speechless. She had been preparing all night and all morning to deliver similar news to Ichigo and instead he beat her to it. Not that that was really a bad thing. She couldn't help but giggle quietly as a warm feeling spread through her.
Ichigo looked confused by her reaction but relaxed slightly when he saw the beautiful smile on her face. "Ichigo. Heh, I have been feeling the same way. I asked you to join me today so that I could confess my feelings to you. I was so worried that you wouldn't accept them, but I see I had nothing to worry about."
She kept smiling as she laid her hands over his on the middle of the table. Once again they were interrupted by their food being delivered, but as soon as they were alone Ichigo slowly pulled his hands away.
Erza was confused as she watched the happiness fade away from his face. Why was he suddenly seeming so depressed? So regretful? Was he not happy about their new connection?
Ichigo crossed his arms and leant back on his elbows once again and looked down at the sandwich he had ordered. His appetite was gone now and the idea of trying to eat made his stomach tight. He had just seen Erza happier than he ever had, and now he had to break her heart. He hated himself for that.
"Listen, I know that seems like incredible news, and don't get me wrong it feels great to know that you felt the same. But all that's gonna do is make what I have to say next all the more difficult." He spoke somberly.
Erza sat back in her chair and looked on in confusion. She had no words so she waited for Ichigo to speak.
Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out the file that Gildarts had given him containing everything he knew about the recent portal. Ichigo sat it on the table in front of Erza and watched as she tentatively picked it up and began to read through it.
Realization dawned on her and she looked back up to Ichigo. "The master wanted to speak only to you because this portal is just like the one you came here in, isn't it?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, and according to what Gildarts found, this one was far more massive of an energy spike than mine. He assumes that means either something much larger came through, or something far more powerful."
Erza looked back down at the document and quickly took note of the location. "This is clear on the southern continent. It would take almost a month of travel to get there"
Ichigo looked at her again with a scowl. "Yeah, which means who or whatever came through has already been there for a month." Ichigo's entire body was tense and Erza could tell that he was thinking about something.
"So how soon are we going to leave? I assume you want to investigate this."
"Yeah. This is the first time this has ever happened twice in such a short span of time. This could be the only way for me to understand how I got here, if not why I'm here as well." Ichigo reached out and took the folder from Erza and sat it on the table in front of him. "But that's why I needed to tell you how I feel about you. This was my last chance to be upfront with you."
Erza felt the last bit of warmth and joy she had been experiencing start to slip as Ichigo continued on with what he had to say.
"There isn't going to be an "us" on this one Erza. I'm going alone. Gildarts is being sent off on a century quest tomorrow. If the both of us left, the only top class mage left would be Laxus. I have no idea how long this trip could take and the guild would suffer if it lost almost all of its S class wizards for too long. I'm sorry Erza but I need you to stay here."
Erza felt nothing. She was too stunned. Even if they hadn't just basically said they wanted to be together, she and Ichigo hadn't been separated for more than a couple weeks, and even that was only so she could find her own power. She hadn't really been gone. He was talking about leaving her alone. Even if he did what he had to and came straight back, he would be gone for at least two months. Two months that she would be without him.
"But. But if I come with you, I would be able to help you investigate. Besides, the guild did fine even when we only had Laxus while Gildarts was gone. They don't need one of us to stay behind!" She was beginning to get a bit frantic as she tried to change Ichigo's mind.
Ichigo frowned deeply. He knew she would hate this. "You and I both know Laxus hasn't exactly been stable ever since his dad got kicked out. And that's not the only reason. While I'm gone, I intend to have my battle with Shiro. I know you said you want to be there to support me, but while I fight him my body will be under both our control. Zangetsu said that in that state of turmoil, both my powers and Shiro's will be present in my body. It would be nearly twice as powerful as I am now. I'm sorry but I can't let you be anywhere near me when the time comes."
A lone tear was slowly rolling down the side of Erza's face. She was heartbroken. She couldn't explain the feelings of confusion and abandonment going on within her. "So after opening up to me you're just going to leave me?"
Ichigo's heart sank at the hurt he had caused the most important person in the world to him. "Listen Erza. I know this hurts, but I wanted to tell you before I left." Ichigo reached back down and cupped her hands in his. "I owed it to you. I know that there isn't going to be a day that goes by that I won't be thinking of you. I need you to stay here and take care of our family. After all if we were both gone for that long the guild would probably be a burnt and frozen pile of rubble by the time we got back." He tried to smile and lift her mood a bit but it didn't really seem to help. "I'll come back to you as soon as I can. I promise."
Erza smiled weakly but there was no happiness behind it. She looked up at her hands still resting within Ichigo's. She pulled one away and brushed the last tears from her eyes. "How soon do you plan on leaving." Her voice was weak and trembling.
"Tomorrow morning at sunrise."
Erza nodded and picked her chair up before placing it directly next to Ichigo's. "Then you are not leaving my side until then."
Ichigo smiled at the touching sentiment. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned in to hug his chest. The embraced for a minute before Erza pulled away.
"Well if you're going to be on the road for so long, you should enjoy good food while you can." She seemed to have recovered, and while she didn't seem overly happy, she did at least seem content.
Ichigo looked at his sandwich and with the tense situation behind him, his stomach began to protest at how empty it was.
Erza giggled slightly at the gurgling sound and Ichigo chuckled, reaching forward to take a bite. Once again it was quiet and the young couple simply enjoyed the others presence. Erza true to her nature, had ordered a slice of cheesecake with a strawberry on top. She smiled and plucked the fruit from its place on the cake. Turning it over, she glanced over at Ichigo. He was in the process of wolfing down his sandwich. He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked
She didn't answer but held the fruit up to him. Ichigo looked at the fruit and thought until Erza's joke clicked with him. "Oh ha ha. Very funny Erza. Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"
Erza smirked and popped the fruit into her mouth. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't call you anything." She continued to smirk at his frustration and she chewed up the sweet morsel.
As a half hour passed, they had finished their food and were waiting for their tab to be brought out to them. Erza was resting her head on Ichigo's shoulder as they watched the rare passerby.
"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Ichigo asked slightly jostling his shoulder.
Erza lifted her head and tapped her chin for a moment. He was going to be gone for a very long time. She wanted to do something special if this was really going to be her last day with him. A thought occurred to her and she turned to Ichigo.
"You're going to be gone for your birthday. At some point I'd like to give you your present. Considering what's about to happen, I think it's important you have it now."
"Okay well is there something you'd like to do after we're done here?" Ichigo grabbed the check as Amiya came back and gave her the jewel and a modest tip.
Erza stood up and straightened her skirt and walked to the front and waited for Ichigo. "Well it would be nice to spend some time out at our spot for a bit if you want."
Smiling Ichigo walked up next to her and held out his arm. "Well can we take the fast way this time?"
Erza walked next to him and wrapped her arms around his chest and tucked her head into his shoulder. She held on tight as she felt the rush that signified they were on the move. With every pulse of power, they sailed across the city faster than the eye could see. She smiled and held him closer as the wind whipped at her hair.
Fairy Tail guild hall, 5:15 pm
Natsu lazily walked into the guild and made his way to the job board. He and Happy had spent the entire day fishing but had only managed to catch a couple small ones. When they had gotten home with their catch, they had discovered that they were starting to run out of food money. So Natsu had decided to pick out a job to go on for the next day.
The board had plenty of postings but many of them didn't offer much in the way of a reward. "Hmm Gonna need something that gives a bit more." He said looking over a tempting offer to escort a traveling theatre troupe.
He felt a sudden light tap on his shoulder and turned to see Happy pointing over at Lissana beckoning for them. Weaving his way through the tables until he arrived at the spot where Lissana was sitting with her brother and sister, he sat down while happy rested on his shoulder.
"Hey you two. How did the fishing go?" Lissana asked sweetly.
"Big dummy here must have scared them all off. We barely caught anything." Happy said antagonizing.
Natsu glared over at the cat perched on his shoulder. "Hey it's not my fault, besides you kept shouting at the fish to get in your belly."
Mirajane rolled her eyes at her sister's friends. "Ugh you two are so immature. Go bicker somewhere else."
Lissana turned a glare at her sister. "Oh really? I'll have to remember that one next time you decide to go at it with Erza." The small girl threatened.
Mira only laughed at the hollow threat. "Hahah. Yeah you do that, see what it gets you."
Both Elfman and Natsu paled at just how menacing the girl could be. "Man your sister's scary."
"Yeah tell me about it. A couple days ago she and Erza went at it and it took both Ichigo and Laxus to drag them apart. Then she just turned on Laxus." Elfman recalled with a shiver.
Lissana wasn't fazed and held her ground. "My point is you shouldn't make fun of them when you do the same thing, Mira." She could be just as intimidating as Mira at times, though the older girl actually possessed the power to back it up.
Out of nowhere there was a loud hammering sound that came from toward the back of the guild. Everyone turned to see Master Makarov tapping his staff on the wooden railing high up on the second floor. "May I have everyone's attention for a moment? There is some important news I need to inform you all of."
Silence overtook the hall as all present gave the master their undivided attention. They had all been very curious about why Gildarts had come back and it looked as if they were about to get some answers.
"Now I'm sure you all have some questions after Gildarts' unexpected return yesterday. I understand that it is beginning to get a bit late in the evening so I'll keep this short." The old mage took a seat on the railing before continuing. "A few days ago I received a century quest from the council. I came to the conclusion that only Gildarts would be anywhere near capable of completing such a task so I reassigned him to it yesterday."
Natsu scratched his head a bit confused. He knew about the harder jobs but he had never heard of this century quest business. Turning to his table his whispered under his breath. "Hey what's a century quest?"
Mira leant over so as not to make too much noise. "They are jobs that are above even S-class standards. They are so hard that nobody has been able to complete them in 100 years."
Natsu's eyes widened. "Whoooaaa. So Gildarts is going on one now?"
"Shut up. The master looks like he has more to say." Elfman shushed.
"You have probably realized that this leaves no one to look for our missing members. After a brief discussion, I have handed this task to Ichigo Kurosaki. He will be picking up where Gildarts left off. As I understand it he intends to leave either late tonight or early tomorrow morning." The master spoke with a tone that suggested that there was nothing odd about this but a select few were able to deduce just what the master had meant.
"Wait." Happy mumbled seemingly to nobody in particular. "The master said HE. As in only Ichigo. Does that mean Erza is going to be staying here?"
Mirajane gasped slightly as she recalled what she had spoken to Erza about the previous day. 'Oh no. If Ichigo is leaving without her does that mean we were wrong and he didn't share her feelings?' Mira grit her teeth and cursed herself slightly. 'Damnit! We pushed her into opening up like that. I bet she's devastated. I need to go talk to her.'
Mira stood up suddenly and made a quick pace for the doors.
"Hey, Mira. Where are you going?" Elfman called from behind her.
Mira turned back only briefly. "I forgot I need to go pay our rent for this month before it's too late." She lied smoothly. She picked up her pace a bit and jogged out into the night. She started up the road toward where she felt Erza's magic located. She wasn't very far off.
She turned up the road and began running parallel to the small river running through town. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. 'Wait doesn't Ichigo live right up here?'
Her suspicions were almost immediately confirmed as she saw both Ichigo and Erza standing on the front steps to the formers home. Not wanting to be seen, she quickly ducked into a nearby alley and barely poked her head out to observe them.
She was too far away to hear what they were saying to each other, but she could clearly see that they were standing very close to one another and Erza appeared to be holding a small package. They talked for another minute before Erza placed the box in Ichigo's hands. Mira began to get frustrated by how far away she had hidden when she was unable to see what the boy pulled out of the box.
"I wonder if that's supposed to be a going away present." She pondered just what exactly Erza would give him that would come in such a small package. Her thoughts were broken however when Ichigo suddenly pulled Erza into a hug that appeared to surprise her. The shock only lasted a few seconds and Erza returned the embrace. Mira felt as if several minutes went by before the two finally pulled back from each other, though their arms were still wrapped around each other.
Mira felt her heart both rise and fall as she was touched by the sincerity of the moment, but also caught sight of the saddened expression on Erza's face. 'He must have been saying goodbye to her. But she is taking it a lot better than I thought she would have.'
Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the two slowly lean their heads together. Her view was blocked as they turned at a different angle for a moment, but she was certain they had just kissed. She had to cover her mouth to stifle an 'aww' before it escaped her. When she looked back, Erza was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up as Ichigo waved to her and stepped inside, closing the door. She watched as Erza didn't move for a moment before turning towards her direction and began walking at an incredibly slow pace.
Lightning fast, she ducked into the shadows to hide from view. As she waited, she eventually saw Erza walk past her. She was pained when she saw tears freely falling down the girls face. She waited a few seconds more before stepping out into the street and jogging up behind the girl.
"Hey Erza!"
Ichigo and Erza stood on his doorstep with the sun rapidly setting. They had spent the entire day together visiting their favorite places in Magnolia and finally had arrived at Ichigo's apartment. Erza stood in front of him awkwardly holding a small package with postal paper still wrapped around it.
"So like I said," Erza held out the small object. "This is your birthday present. You can either open it now or hold on to it and wait till your birthday to open it." As she finished, she sat the small object in his hands and looked up to gauge his reaction.
Ichigo turned the object over in his hands, inspecting the weight. He smiled gently and tilted his head a bit. "Well I think I'll open it now so you can see how much I like what you got me."
Erza smiled and nodded as a warm fuzzy feeling that had been with her since lunch filled her up again.
Ichigo made quick work of the twine holding the packaging on. Once it fell away he lifted the lid on the long thin box.
Sitting on a small pillow was a polished dark metal chain. A pendant in the shape of a crescent moon hung from the bottom. Between the two points of the moon was held a long curved sword. The craftsmanship was incredible and as Ichigo held it up in the light the dark color of the metal reflected the light beautifully.
Seeing how impressed Ichigo was with it Erza took a moment to explain it. "Zangetsu. It means slaying moon right? I had that crafted by the finest jeweler in Clover. It's made of strengthened tungsten so it's incredibly durable. You won't have to worry about breaking it on your trip."
Ichigo pulled the necklace out of the box and held it in his hand. Looking up he met Erza's gaze and couldn't help the heartfelt smile that graced his lips. He reached forward and took the girl into his arms and held her tightly. Erza was only caught off guard for a moment before he felt her place her arms around him as well.
They held one another close as several minutes passed and no words were exchanged. After several minutes, they both pulled back just a bit and looked into each other's eyes. Erza was frowning sadly and her eyes were starting to show the beginnings of tears.
"I'm going to miss you so much Ichigo." She said shakily as her breaths came unsteadily.
Ichigo leant his forehead down to rest against Erza's. "I'm going to miss you too. Every day that I'm away from you is going to be one I wish didn't happen. But I swear. I will come back for you."
Erza nodded and took a small breath. "I know you will." When her words were gone she closed the remaining distance between them and softly pressed her lips to his.
It was not the most heated kiss. Nor was it all that romantic. It was desperate. As their lips pressed together, they communicated all of their joy, and all of the sorrow that was in their hearts. It was their first and only kiss, and it was a kiss goodbye.
Erza was the first to pull away as she took a few steps down from the patio.
Ichigo let his arms fall to his side, the necklace clutched in his hand. He watched as she made her way to the street level and looked up to him.
"Have a safe journey. I hope you are able to find everything you are looking for. I'll make sure the guild is still here waiting for you." Erza said. She was openly crying at this point but it was difficult to tell if they were tears of joy or sorrow.
Ichigo nodded "Thank you. I'll be back someday. I promise." He pushed the door open as he halfway stepped into the building. "Goodbye, Erza."
"Goodbye, my Ichigo." Erza spoke softly as she watched the door slowly close behind the man she had given her heart to.
She stood silently as she let everything sink in. She had just had her first kiss. And it was not likely that she would be having her second for a very long time. Her best friend, her whole world, was leaving for an unknown amount of time. But she had a life and responsibilities here.
'This is going to be a very hard time to get through.' She thought to herself as she finally, achingly, turned and started her walk home. She was silently bawling at this point but she was far from caring who saw. She had made it nearly to the next road when someone called her name.
"Hey Erza."
The scarlet haired girl froze in place and turned to see who had called for her before frantically wiping her eyes. "Mi.. Mira. What are you doing here?"
Mira fiddled with her fingers in shame a bit. She explained how the master had told them that Ichigo would be leaving by himself and how she had decided to come find Erza to see if she was okay and ended up spying on her and Ichigo.
Erza's cheeks were bright red when she realized Mira had seen them kiss like that. "Oh. Well um. Thank you for wanting to make sure I'm okay, but I think I just want to go home and get some sleep." She was emotionally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and escape.
"Let me walk you home." Mira blurted out before she herself even realized what she'd said.
Erza looked at her with suspicion and the remnants of tears at the corners of her eyes. Why was she being so nice?
Mira walked up and awkwardly stood next to her. "I mean. I figure you could use a friend tonight so how about we have a little sleepover or whatever. If you want." She didn't say anything about Ichigo leaving. Nothing was said about how he would be gone for a very long time. She simply offered to be there for her fellow Fairy Tail wizard.
Erza thought for a moment and closed her eyes nodding with a faint smile. "I think that would be nice."
Mira grinned and turned up the road back towards the guild with Erza in tow. She only barely was able to hear the whispered "Thank you" that came from her friend as they walked into Fairy Hills together.
True to his word, Ichigo had been on the earliest train and out of magnolia by the time the sun was rising. He had packed only the bare essentials and journeyed on refraining from speaking to anyone.
Days went on like this before he arrived where he would board a crossing of the channel into Minstrel. It was a short day and a half at sea followed by several weeks of caravans and walking before he finally arrived at the last town Gildarts had stopped at during his search. His trip had luckily been entirely uneventful.
His reputation as a powerful wizard hadn't seemed to make it to the far south and thus he was able to move without drawing unwanted attention. The last thing he needed was for the entire city to know who he was.
Unbeknownst to our hero however, his presence was instantly noticed by another.
The man was dark skinned and enormous. Standing at roughly twice the height of the average man, he would be considered a giant by any who saw him. He wore a white jacket that left his chest open and white hakama. A large sword hung from the black tabi around his waist. His hair was shaven off except for a long ponytail. The most noticeable features of his appearance however, were the jaw bone that was positioned over his chin, and the empty hole going through his chest.
"What's this?" The man asked himself as he stood to his full height. He could feel it. Just on the edge of his senses. He grinned maliciously as his target had finally shown himself.
"Hehehe about time. I was getting sick of waiting. Que suerte."
A/N" Okay, chapter 9 is officially done. Before the explanations I just want to say thank for. This story has passed 300 follows and over 28,000 views. Reviews and messages have been very helpful and I've loved answering your questions. One thing I must ask though. Please refrain from posting spoilers from the more recent events in the manga's or anime in reviews. If it's something that was only recently revealed by the anime then feel free to send me a message, but please don't ruin surprises for other people.
Explanations.
It was asked if Ichigo would be using his resurrection (aka. Vasto lorde.) And while I can say that we will be seeing this form, it will be in a way that I highly doubt any of you are thinking.
Another question was if we would see other bleach characters, and if so who. Well if you now your bleach baddies you probably recognized our newest entrant. That being said, yes we will see a LOT more characters from bleach. Who and when however will not come till later, sorry
I have come up with a couple new moves for Ichigo, and eve one for Natsu, but I am still looking for new ones. Last time I wasn't very clear, I am looking for zanpakuto abilities for Zangetsu besides the Getsuga Tenshō. Like the idea that other zanpakuto like Senbonzakura, Hyorinmaru, and all of the others have several abilities that they are capable of.
Just a fair warning, over the next few chapters, we are going to jump up in the timeline pretty rapidly so I will do my best to post what date it is supposed to be, and how old both Ichigo and Erza are for sure.
Same as always, I love the follows, and the feedback. One reader was even nice enough to call this the "best erza x ichigo's fanfiction ever!" While I disagree, I am incredibly flattered by the praise. But please feel free to critique anything that I need to do better at.
Sincerely,
Bruised Memory