A/N As promised, here is Chapter 26. Friday will be the next posting. Preemptively, I would like to wish all my viewers, or those who celebrate it, a happy Thanksgiving.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or Fairy Tail, or any of their characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 26
"Now let's go inside and look to the future!" Makarov exclaimed before marching towards the entrance.
Many cheered in response to the words of the esteemed guild master as the followed him towards their home away from home. With this, the entire ordeal with Phantom was perceived as a thing of the past, and that did nothing but relieve a majority of the members of Fairy Tail given that they could now move on from a hard fought victory.
Inside the Guildhall, Some Time Later…
"I still can't believe we got all of that work done so quickly…" Ichigo thought aloud.
He currently sat at a table alongside Elfman, Mira, and Erza, each of whom were taking a much needed break after moving around all day. The rest of the guild was much the same way, and not even Natsu and Gray had neither the strength nor the motivation to fight one another at this point.
"Together as one I don't think anything exists that Fairy Tail can't do." Mira stated truthfully, having the upmost faith in her comrades.
"That's because we're all real men!" Elfman exclaimed, raising his glass in an excited manner.
"About that, you do realize that you keep calling girls 'men'… right?" Ichigo asked.
"What do you mean?" Elfman replied, obviously not seeing the point the orange-haired teen was trying to make.
"But you… never mind. I guess you're right, everyone in Fairy Tail is a real man!" Ichigo said, not quite using a mocking tone. He simply decided that it wasn't really worth his time to even remotely try to explain something this obvious.
"It's at least sweet of you to humor him." Mira commented cheerfully, directing a smile toward the orange-haired teen.
"I agree." Erza commented.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but so do I!" Elfman loudly added.
"Yeah… anyway, I think I'm gonna head out and find something to eat. After a day like today I'm actually really hungry…" Ichigo stated, rubbing the back of his head as he finished speaking out of a slight sense of bashfulness.
"Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you just have dinner we me and my big sis? She's a hell of a cook, and she does it like a real man!" Elfman offered, sounding rather proud as he referred to his sister's culinary abilities.
Erza initially scowled and directed a glare towards the woman she believed to be behind Elfman's offer, which wasn't that farfetched given that she had previously offered the same thing though not as a definitive date. She was under the assumption that Mira had coerced her sibling into extending the invitation today so that it would effectively speed things up, but the expression of genuine surprise on the white-haired teen's face told her otherwise.
'Wait… so she really didn't plan this?' Erza wondered out of confusion.
"Funny you should say that. Mira offered me the same thing earlier today, but she never really picked a date. You sure today would be okay?" Ichigo inquired, not wanting to impose.
"Oh it's no problem at all. In fact we were just about to head home, so it fits in perfectly!" Mira assured, her surprised look giving way for her traditionally cheerful expression.
"Come on Ichigo, let's go head off. You're gonna love my big sis' cooking!" Elfman cheered.
A moment later he began to practically drag Ichigo across the room towards the entrance while the substitute himself just maintained a confused expression. Ichigo supposed, however, that he was used to odd social etiquettes like this, if you could even call it that.
"Unbelievable…" Erza muttered to herself in an aggravated tone, something that was very much so picked up by the woman to her side.
"Well, I guess now I'm heading back to my place… with Ichigo…" Mira said.
Each passing word in the barmaid's sentence seemed to cause Erza's scowl to deepen a little bit more. This, in turn, only added to Mira's pleasure with her current situation given that she just continued to get inside her rival's head.
"It doesn't count as a date whatsoever. Elfman will be present for the meal, so it may as well just be a friendly dinner from his point of view." Erza stated, though it was likely more of a means to reassure herself than shoot down whatever delusion she believed was going through the barmaid's head.
"True, but I only said it that way to annoy you." Mira replied cheerfully, after which she began to walk towards the doors of the guildhall.
The scarlet-haired teen began to seethe with frustration to the point that she began to involuntarily growl. Her current situation was less than preferable, and yet at the same time it hadn't even been a ploy of Mira's to set it up.
'I'm going to find a way to get back at her if it's the last thing I do…' Erza thought out of determination.
It was true that Ichigo being practically alone with formerly the most devious woman she had ever met in her life agitated her more than she would care to admit, but there was also the fact that she wanted to wipe the smirk right off of Mira's face that drove her thoughts.
"Hey Erza, where'd Ichigo head off to?" Natsu asked curiously as both he and his Exceed companion walked towards the currently alone redheaded mage.
"He's going to have dinner at Mirajane's house because apparently she's so damn special." Erza replied, though the annoyance in her tone went completely over the dragon slayer's head at the mention of food.
"Aw man, I wanna go too! She makes the best food ever…" Natsu whined.
"Aye! Her fish are amazing!" Happy chirped in agreement.
The words of her two comrades, however, caused a mischievous smirk, or the closest equivalent, to form across Erza's lips. It seemed that an opportunity arose more quickly than she had expected.
"Well I am sure that Ichigo wouldn't mind if you two were to tag along." Erza mused.
"Really, you think so?" Natsu asked in a hopeful voice.
"Of course, why wouldn't he?" Erza countered.
It took no time at all for the duo to run towards the entrance of the guild, shouting the name of their comrade all the while. Evidently they took the prospect of a good meal very seriously.
"Ichigo! Hey Ichigo!" The two shouted simultaneously.
'Enjoy the company Mira… I would love to see you try anything with those two present.' Erza thought contentedly, her day having just gotten astronomically better.
With Ichigo…
"Huh? Hey Natsu, what's up?" Ichigo questioned, turning to see the dragon slayer and his blue-furred companion rushing towards him as quickly as they could.
"You're going to eat dinner at Mira's house, right?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah, she and Elfman offered and I've been told her food is amazing." Ichigo replied evenly.
"Aye!" Happy chirped, nodding his head vigorously in agreement with that statement.
"Yeah, her food is amazing! Can we come with you, can we, can we?" Natsu pleaded, clasping his hands together and shaking them in a begging fashion.
The dragon slayer's actions confused Mira a great deal, but not because he wanted to come for the purpose of eating food as that was actually quite typical of him. What struck her as odd was the simple missing piece of information that was how he found out about her inviting Ichigo in the first place.
As if in a moment of realization, her eyes widened slightly and she stared back at the table she had previously been sitting at. When she did so, she saw none other than Erza Scarlet staring at her with a smug look that told her everything she needed to know.
'That… that… that little bi…' Mira thought, only to be mentally cut off by the sound of Ichigo's voice.
"It's not really my call Natsu… is it okay if they come, Mira?" Ichigo questioned, looking towards the white-haired woman for an answer.
"O-Of course. It's fine if you want to bring them." Mira replied, her smile more strained than prior.
"Please, please!" Natsu and Happy begged in unison.
"…fine, since Mira said it was okay, than you can come." Ichigo conceded, immediately after which the duo got off of the ground and jumped into the air as if they had just won the lottery.
"Have fun!" Erza called out in an overly-content voice upon seeing the pink-haired teen and his Exceed companion jump around in an overjoyed manner.
At that instant, Mira directed a scowl towards the redheaded knight and fought the urge to throw something at her. Perhaps she was being a sore loser, but then again so was Erza so it evened out a little bit. However, she could only maintain her annoyed expression for a brief moment before Ichigo and the others turned towards the door and made to leave.
"Are you ready to go?" Mira asked, her usual bright and cheerful smile returning.
"Aye!" Happy shouted.
The Strauss Home: Dining Room
"Okay everyone, take your seats and I'll go get everything ready." Mira stated before heading off into the kitchen to actually prepare the food.
A moment later the gathered party did what the white-haired chief had asked them to do. A total of six seats existed on the table, one at each head of the table, and two on each respective side.
Currently, two sat on each side while one of the heads was cleared in order for Mira to take her pick of a seat when she had finished cooking. Ichigo sat to the left of the head closest to the kitchen, after who sat Elfman. Across from them sat Natsu and Happy, each of whom had bright smiles etched on their faces and slight amounts of saliva falling from their lips.
"Mira's cooking must really be that good, huh?" Ichigo thought aloud, taking note of the frenzied look the dragon slayer and Happy currently sported.
"Aye…" Happy replied, his mind clearly being focused on the prospect of food.
"Heh, my big sis is the best cook in all of Magnolia and maybe even in Fiore." Elfman boasted. He knew his sister would never make such a claim, so someone had to.
The youngest of the living Strauss siblings elicited a chuckle from Ichigo due to his prideful words, after which a time of comfortable silence took over. Most were just silent due to their sense of anticipation, but Elfman's reason was quite a bit different.
He did actually possess an ulterior motive for inviting the orange-haired teen into their home for dinner, and it had a good bit to do with what he had noticed the previous few days. It also had something to do with the fact that the Strauss's owed him a great deal for simply helping them out, and even if he didn't want a reward or recognition this was the least they could have done.
Elfman, however, wanted more than anything to find out a few things about Ichigo and essentially drill him until he was satisfied that he was a proper object of affection for his elder sister. He knew all too well the way that Mira felt about the substitute due to the fact that he saw the same look in her eyes when she looked at Ichigo that he previously had seen whenever Lisanna had looked at Natsu all those years ago.
Though Ichigo had already proven himself to be a more than capable fighter and a compassionate person, it still remained to be seen if he was what Elfman would call 'worthy' of his older sister. He was the only man of the Strauss household, so the duty of making sure that Ichigo was actually what he seemed to be fell exclusively to him.
"So, Ichigo, are you…" Elfman began, though he was cut off.
"Dinner's ready!" Mira chirped, entering the room with a large tray on each hand.
Natsu and Happy stared at the covered trays with anticipation, as did Elfman given that his sister's cooking truly was amazing. Ichigo, however, was more impressed with how quickly it arrived.
"Wow, that was fast…" Ichigo said in a surprised voice.
"W-Was it? I hadn't really noticed…" Mira replied nervously.
The reality of the situation had been that she tried a good deal to create the best meal she could and as quickly as she could. Thinking back to the reason she had for doing so made her a bit embarrassed, but nevertheless she just hoped her effort would pay off.
'You could say she was highly motivated…' Elfman thought with a small grin. He'd never say that out loud, otherwise his sister may very well have killed him.
Some Time Later…
"Wow… just… wow…" Ichigo commented, slumping back into his chair in a satisfied fashion.
Everyone at the table had done pretty much the same as a result of having finished the meal the white-haired woman had made for them. The food, in fact, had been so good that no one even made any conversation due to the fact that this took time away from actually consuming it.
"Y-You liked it?" Mira asked hopefully.
"I think this is the best food I've ever tasted, by a long shot." Ichigo replied, inwardly apologizing to his younger sister as he did so. Yuzu, for all of her culinary skill, had nothing on this.
"I'm glad." Mira replied, fighting the urge to jump for joy. She fully intended to rub this in Erza's face the following morning, but that was more of a bonus.
"You guys have a nice dining room by the way…" Ichigo commented turning to make some form of conversation with the younger Strauss in the aftermath of their meal.
"Yes, we do. Mira works very hard to decorate our home as best as she can." Elfman replied.
"Well she does a really good job." Ichigo said, once again causing a bright affectionate smile to form on the female wizard's lips.
"Stop, you're making me blush… a-and if you want, we could show you the rest of the house." Mira offered, a slight tinge of red making its way onto her cheeks as she spoke.
"Oh I'm sure he'd like that. I'm sure he'd especially like for you to take him to a very specific room, big sis…" Elfman replied, his 'man of the household mode' having activated in the wake of their meal.
The intended meaning of his words went right over the heads of everyone present except Mira, whose face lit up brilliantly as a result. She was so embarrassed in fact that she was unable to stop what happened next, at least for a short period of time.
"Um… what?" Ichigo asked confusedly.
"Ichigo… would you mind if I asked you something?" Elfman questioned, ignoring the man's evident confusion in favor of further pursuing his current goal.
"Sure, go ahead." Ichigo permitted uncaringly. He wasn't really uncomfortable being asked anything in particular. At least nothing came to mind that he believed the stout man would ask.
"How many women would you say you know?" Elfman asked with a raised brow.
"Um…" Ichigo trailed off.
He was both unsure of how to answer that question and why it was asked in the first place. From his perspective, it was just plainly speaking an odd thing to ask and he couldn't for the life of him think of a reason for the white-haired man to do so.
"Too many to count off the top of your head?" Elfman guessed, his tone being one of accusation.
"I guess so, but I…" Ichigo said.
"So how many of these countless girls that you know have you dated?" Elfman inquired, not even allowing the orange-haired teen to finish his sentence.
"Wha… I haven't d…" Ichigo began, once again only to be cut off.
"So when was the last time you tricked a woman so you could get something from her?" Elfman pressed.
"That's a loaded que…" Ichigo said, only to be silenced yet again by another inquiry.
This continued while the observers of the situation happened to be an increasingly agitated Mirajane and a very confused Natsu and Happy. The two just stared on as Elfman seemed to angrily question Ichigo, after which said individual would try to reply and then be cut off.
"You got any idea what's goin' on?" Natsu whispered to his blue-furred companion.
"Nope! But I'll tell you if I figure it out." Happy replied with a smile still etched across his face as he looked towards the essential post-dinner entertainment. His best friend just nodded in response.
However, before anything else could be uttered by the only male Strauss sibling, Mira decided that it was time to intervene. She would most certainly have to have a discussion with Elfman about boundaries in the near future if this conversation was anything to go by.
"Stop! Ichigo is our guest and you're being rude, Elfman." Mira stated, her smile vanishing in favor of a small scowl that she directed at her younger sibling.
"Um… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, Ichigo." Elfman apologized.
"It's okay…" Ichigo replied, deciding not to dwell on something he just didn't understand.
"No, it really isn't, but you can be sure I'll talk to him about it later." Mira stated, eliciting a gulp from the self-proclaimed manliest of men.
"Ichigo, I'm bored and confused, can we leave now?" Natsu asked.
"Aye…" Happy added with a nod of agreement.
"Well it is kind of late, so I guess we should… anyway, thanks for the meal, Mira. It was really amazing." Ichigo stated as he got up from his chair, the duo who requested the departure doing the same.
"I'm glad you liked it. See you tomorrow." Mira replied, her previously annoyed demeanor vanishing in favor of her traditional cheerful one.
"Goodnight." Ichigo said before he and the others made to leave.
"See ya Mira!" Natsu stated.
"Thanks for the food!" Happy chirped.
They made their way to the front door and exited the home, almost immediately after which Mira's cheerful expression vanished once again. She turned around to see her younger sibling trying to sneak out of the room, but there wasn't a chance she'd let that happen.
"Now just where do you think you're going?" Mira asked with dark fire in her eyes as she grabbed Elfman's collar.
"U-Uh… uh…" Elfman murmured out of fear, the hostile intent of his sister reaching him without the need to even see her face.
Streets of Magnolia, With Natsu, Ichigo, and Happy
"You got any idea what happened back there?" Natsu questioned as the group walked back to their collective home.
"Not a clue." Ichigo replied honestly.
"Damn, I was hopin' you knew what was going on. Still, thanks for letting us come with you." Natsu stated.
"I wasn't the one that let you, nor was I was I the one who cooked." Ichigo pointed out.
"True… by the way, I ain't said anything yet, but I'm honestly just glad you managed to help her get her powers back." Natsu said, somewhat to the surprise of his companion.
"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" Ichigo inquired, simply out of curiosity.
"Heh, come on, I ain't that stupid. You told me about what happened near Lisanna's grave, and whatever you said to her is what I think helped her to push through." Natsu replied.
"That might be true, but I didn't do anything other than help her find what she knew she still had. Someone who has that kind of strength doesn't just lose it unless they've allowed themselves to get in the way of their own progress." Ichigo stated, speaking from a slight bit of personal experience.
In recent times he had actually pushed aside the opportunity to gain back his Soul Reaper powers for reasons that even now he didn't quite understand. He just knew for a fact that at the time the only thing in his way was himself, and upon reflection of the reasons he wanted his powers he no longer allowed such a thing to block his way.
"I think it goes beyond that… you see, after Lisanna… ya know… she wasn't able to use any of her real magic power. Neither was Elfman, actually, and now, thanks to you, they can. I don't know if you realize it, but that means you've helped them do something that no one else in our guild was able to do, and you've only been here for… well, not too long." Natsu said solemnly, sounding incredibly grateful.
"They just needed to hear a few things… and I might just have been the perfect person to do it. My past experiences may not be the happiest, but I suppose they've allowed me to help them out when they needed it most." Ichigo replied, smiling sadly at that fact.
"Are… are you talking about what happened to your mom?" Natsu asked quietly, almost as if he was hesitating to speak in the first place.
He recalled that the orange-haired teen didn't have a mother, and he assumed with how he had originally reacted that there was some kind of not so happy story attached to it. At this point he was just curious as to what the story was given that it seemed to be somewhat similar to the death of Lisanna if what Ichigo had said was anything to go by.
"Yes… I am. Don't bother apologizing for bringing it up, it's something I've accepted and come to terms with. Still if you want to know what actually happened, I'll tell you… but I will warn you that it isn't exactly a happy story." Ichigo offered.
The dragon slayer seemed to think on Ichigo's words for a short period of time as the group walked. Brining up painful memories was something Natsu didn't particularly like to do, but at this point more than anything he wanted to know. Happy, on the other hand, just continued to walk in silence, not really desiring to add anything to the conversation. Even he could tell that the emotion was heavy.
"I… I think I'd like to hear what happened." Natsu replied.
The Strauss Home: Living Room
"So, Elfman… what'd we learn today?" Mira asked, looking at her perpetually terrified younger sibling as he sat on the couch with a fearful expression etched on his face.
"Never to ask Ichigo questions like that again…" Elfman replied.
"And…" Mira trailed off, obviously wanting her sibling to elaborate further.
"To never tease big sis about Ichigo…" Elfman said.
"That it?" Mira inquired with a raised brow and a small scowl.
"Um… umm… also to never tell Ichigo you really, really like him?" Elfman more asked than said.
"Good boy." Mira said, her cheerful demeanor returning, giving her younger brother a pat on the head.
"Wait… but if you really like him as much as you do, why wouldn't you just…" Elfman began.
"Are you really going to question me? Just remember how thin the ice you're on actually is…" Mira warned.
The white-haired man did something quite wise in that he immediately shut his mouth and walked away. His older sibling could be unbelievably intimidating when she wanted to be, and while most of the time she was sweet and caring, when she was annoyed or agitated god help the soul of whoever brought it about.
"That's what I thought…" Mira said contentedly.
Magnolia: Natsu's Home, Some Time Later…
The trio entered the pink-haired teen's house in silence, the story that had just been told causing it to take form. Each and every one of them had reasons for their lack of speaking, all of which were valid.
Ichigo was silent because he didn't really have anything to add on to the story of his mother's death. Happy was a little bit confused and saddened and as a result said nothing. Natsu, on the other hand, simply didn't know quite what to say in the wake of such a tragic tale. That, however, didn't stop him from being the first to actually speak.
"I think… I think I understand you a little better now…" Natsu stated.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked blankly.
"The reason you want to protect everyone close to you… the reason that you fight so hard for other people. I get it and its cuz' I'm the same way… I… I don't want to lose anything either." Natsu explained.
"I know… that's why of the three people that were most affected you were the only one who didn't lose any aspect of their powers. In fact, you seemed to have gotten stronger as a result." Ichigo stated.
"Yeah… but I still couldn't help Mira or Elfman." Natsu added quietly, as if to himself.
"The past is the past and we can't change it." Ichigo solemnly stated.
"Aye…" Happy said in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah… anyway, I'm tired and sad, so I'm gonna go to bed." Natsu stated, after which he began to walk off.
"Same." Ichigo commented.
"Aye!" Happy chirped.
Fairy Tail Guildhall, The Next Morning…
The members of Fiore's now undisputed strongest guild sat within their freshly created headquarters without a care in the world. It had been around a day or two since the incident with Phantom was resolved, but the satisfied mood had yet to fade.
"Good morning Lucy, Mira." Erza greeted as she walked towards the main bar.
"Hey Erza." The two greeted in unison, each bearing friendly smiles.
"The guild seems rather lively once again, don't you agree?" Erza mused.
"Yeah, they recovered really well… so anyway, what did you two do last night?" Lucy inquired, simply making friendly conversation.
"I decided to return to Fairy Hills and relax after working so tirelessly to reconstruct the guild." Erza replied.
"I see. What about you, Mira?" Lucy questioned.
"Pretty much the same as Erza… though Ichigo did come over for a meal with me and Elfman." Mira replied, sounding rather content.
A certain redheaded female picked up on this and opted to trounce any sense of unwarranted self-satisfaction that the barmaid currently held.
"Oh really, because I was under the impression that Natsu and Happy joined you as well." Erza commented.
Almost instantly the white-haired woman glared daggers at the scarlet-haired mage, who happened to be the source of her additional guests' presence the previous night. Needless to say, she still wasn't very pleased about that. Her reaction, however, had the added effect of confusing the third party in their conversation.
'I'm missing something…' Lucy thought, shying away slightly in the wake of the sapphire-eyed woman's glare.
"Hey guys, good morning." Ichigo greeted as he walked up to the main bar.
"Oh good morning, I didn't even notice you walk in…" Mira replied, releasing a slightly bashful giggle as she did so.
"Natsu and I just got here. I think he went over to check out the request board… either that or he's going to go start a fight with Gray." Ichigo said.
"I'd say it's a fifty-fifty chance for either of those." Erza commented in a friendly manner.
"Really? I'd put my money on him trying to pick a fight with Gray." Ichigo replied.
"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY?!" The voices of the dragon slayer and the aforementioned ice mage shouted in unison.
"See?" Ichigo said with a small smirk.
"I guess those two won't ever stop that, huh?" Lucy reasoned.
"By the way, thanks again for the food last night Mira. It was really amazing." Ichigo said, directing a smile towards the barmaid as he did so.
The redheaded model of justice for the Fairy Tail guild resorted to what most would call pouting in that she crossed her arms underneath the area of armor that covered her breasts and averted her eyes.
'I can cook too…' Erza thought childishly, though she wasn't prepared to say such a thing as it would only service to demean her.
"I'm sorry… I was spacing out a bit just then. Could you say that again?" Mira requested in an innocent voice.
'I loathe you…' Erza thought, her eyes now settling into a glare though she directed it at nothing but the walls of the guildhall for the time being. She knew perfectly well that the white-haired demoness did that just to rub it in her face more so than she had already been trying to.
"Thanks again for the meal last night, it was amazing." Ichigo repeated.
"You're welcome. If you ever want eat with us again, I'd be happy to host." Mira offered.
"You shouldn't say stuff like that, otherwise I might move into your kitchen and never leave." Ichigo replied jokingly, further emphasizing this with a small chuckle.
"Is that so…" Mira said, a small smirk forming on her features upon seeing that her redheaded rival had noticeably tensed at his words.
"Anyway, I'm gonna go look at the request board. See you guys later." Ichigo stated before walking off.
A moment later Mira turned to look at the scarlet-haired requip user and dawned a very self-satisfied smirk that she knew would cause her blood to boil. Surely enough, she drew the woman's attention and elicited a scowl and accompanying glare, though no verbal response to her facial expression was given.
"Did you hear that, Erza?" Mira asked, somewhat tauntingly.
In response to this the redheaded wizard just got up from her seat, her expression stern once again, and left to search for another job request. Lucy was again confused by this, but that particular course of action happened to make Mira's smile all the more brighter. Even so, she had in no way paid the female mage back for manipulating Natsu and Happy into begging for attendance on her semi-date with the orange-haired teen.
By the Request Board…
"No, I say we go on this one!" Gray shouted.
"Nah-uh, we go on this one!" Natsu countered.
A moment later the two wizards turned to look at their orange-haired comrade, which incidentally made him release a tired sigh due to the fact that he knew perfectly well where this was headed.
"Tell him we're picking this one, Ichigo!" The two shouted simultaneously.
"What job did you two have your eye on?" Erza inquired as she walked up.
"This one!" Natsu and Gray shouted, butting heads with one another as they did so.
"You two just can't agree on anything, can you?" Erza wondered aloud, shaking her head slightly out of a sense of amusement.
"Nope." Ichigo replied.
"Erza, back me up, I should be the one who gets to choose Team Strawberry's next mission!" Natsu stated.
"That isn't our team's name dammit!" Ichigo shouted, eliciting a round of chuckles from several nearby.
Any conversations that had been occurring, however, were cut short when the doors to the freshly restored guildhall slammed open. Most everyone stared at the entrance to see a large group of people clad in white, many of whom knew to be the Rune Knights.
Many began to panic, but it was expected that eventually these people would show up for an investigation of some kind. They all just hoped that it would be over quickly.
"Members of the Fairy Tail guild, please assemble front and center!" One of the knights ordered.
"Who the hell are they supposed to be?" Ichigo asked, for the moment not moving.
"They're the Rune Knights, a group of mages that serve the Magic Council and enforce their will when needed." Erza stated.
At this, a majority of the guild began to do as they were told, collecting near the entrance with several of the stronger mages being located at the front. Shortly thereafter, the knight that had made the request nodded before turning to face the entrance once more.
"They have gathered, milady." The man stated.
For a brief period of time the only sound that could be heard was the quiet sound of shoe heels clacking against the ground. When the woman of reference finally entered the building, she was revealed to be the very same dark purple-haired woman that had been present at the council's questioning not too long ago. Needless to say, two of the individuals within the guildhall didn't have the most pleasant feelings towards her.
"No…" Ichigo uttered out of disbelief.
Of all the people he expected to be part of the investigation, this woman didn't come into his mind even once. His first encounter with her hadn't been very pleasant in that he had just been teased constantly and even now he foolishly had the hope that perhaps he wouldn't be noticed.
Sadly, even if he hadn't been at the front-center portion of the group of gathered wizards, the woman likely would have seen him. It did, however, make him a bit easier to spot.
Within moments the well-endowed woman gazed at him predatorily, a sly smirk present on her features as she began to gracefully walk forwards. Erza, at this, inwardly swore. This woman was possibly the last person she wanted to see in charge of the investigation. At this point even Seigrain was a better option.
"Miss me, handsome?" Ultear asked, her eyes firmly fixed on the orange-haired teen.
At this, Ichigo gulped and Erza tensed up. Mira, on the other hand, was a mix of confused and agitated. This woman was clearly speaking to the substitute in particular, but there had to be a reason for it that she just didn't know at the moment.
"Erza, who is that?" Mira whispered as she glared daggers at the woman in question.
"A wicked harpy…" Erza replied, also glaring heavily at the esteemed councilwoman.
Currently, however, the woman stood directly in front of Ichigo, paying no one else attention but him. This confused a great deal of people present, and angered a few as well, but no one dared to interrupt the conversation that was about to take place.
"What are you doing here?" Ichigo questioned, eliciting a slight giggle from the pale-skinned woman.
"Now is that any way to greet a pretty lady like me?" Ultear asked as if the questioned wounded her.
"That doesn't answer my question…" Ichigo stated, prompting the Lost Magic user to smirk.
"I am here to head up an investigation as per the orders of the Magic Council." Ultear replied.
"And you were the one they picked for that job?" Ichigo asked skeptically, raising a curious brow.
"Would it surprise you if I said I volunteered?" Ultear asked, her smirk increasing in size as she did so.
"Ichigo… do you know this woman?" Makarov asked, looking in-between both him and the head of the investigation and seeing a small mismatch.
"Unfortunately…" Ichigo replied.
"Now that was just mean. Is it because I can get under your skin so easily or because I'm so gorgeous you just can't stand it?" Ultear asked playfully, grazing the side of the teen's cheek with her hand.
The orange-haired teen just blushed, albeit barely, and didn't answer due to the fact that no matter what he said this woman would find a way to turn it into something he didn't want it to be. However, even though he said nothing that still gave her a great deal of amusement as evident by the fact that she giggled girlishly at Ichigo's reaction.
'I'm going to destroy you if you lay another hand on him…' Erza thought, her fists balling in order for her to gain some form of control over her anger. Though she didn't notice, Mira was much the same way.
"Introductions aside, you are all to come to the Rune Knights Camp situated just outside the city where you will all be questioned. After the investigation has concluded, a hearing will be held in order to decide the ultimate fate of Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail." Ultear stated.
"WAHAAHAAAHAAH!" Makarov wailed, virtual waterfalls of tears falling out of his eyes at the thought of the worst case scenario for both he and his guild.
"Get ahold of yourself, master…" Erza chided, lightly tapping the elderly wizard's side as she did so.
Rune Knight's Camp: Center, Some Time Later
"Now I trust you three are aware of why you are here?" Ultear asked, turning to face the group of gathered mages as she spoke.
At the center of the camp were the tents of the most qualified members of the council's reinforces present. Everyone else would only need to be questioned in a standard manner, but these three in particular, meaning Ichigo, Mira, and Erza, were a special case.
"I assume that due to our involvement we are to be interrogated?" Erza inquired, a slight glare being directed at the dark purple-haired woman.
"Interrogated is a rather strong word to use… it's really more of a questioning that will be handled by people who aren't incompetent." Ultear clarified.
"So then why wouldn't the master be here as well?" Mira questioned.
"He will be as soon as he stops crying… now, more importantly, you will each be questioned by one individual." Ultear replied.
"I already feel as if I know the answer, but who will be handling our questioning?" Ichigo asked, prompting a more playful look to grace the councilwoman's features.
"Why me, of course. Care to take a stab at guessing who I want to speak to first?" Ultear asked rhetorically.
"Let me guess, me?" Ichigo replied.
"Actually, no. Don't be such a narcissist." Ultear lightly scolded, sounding remotely honest in her words.
At this, the three gathered Fairy Tail members were both confused and relieved. Still, they hadn't the slightest clue who it was that she desired to talk to if it wasn't for the purpose of pointlessly and aimlessly messing with Ichigo.
"Really?" Erza asked, simply to make sure.
"No, he was right. Now come on pretty boy!" Ultear stated.
A moment later she dragged off the orange-haired teen, despite the fact that Mira and Erza were more than prepared to protest. However, before either could even speak, the dark purple-haired woman had gotten into her tent, out of their sight but definitely not out of their minds.
Inside the Questioning Area…
The two individuals sat completely unsupervised within the councilwoman's tent in complete silence. Ichigo just maintained an expression that implied he'd rather not be there and Ultear just clasped her hands together and rested her chin atop them in a bored fashion.
"So… this is where you take a girl on a second date?" Ultear inquired.
"I don't remember having a first." Ichigo replied uncaringly.
"That's mean… oh well, I suppose I can come up with a way or two to make this time more memorable." Ultear said suggestively, her smirk returning in full force as she spoke.
"Would you get to the point?" Ichigo requested heatedly, a slight blush coming onto his cheeks.
"Oh my, so forceful…" Ultear stated scandalously, shying back into her chair in an overdramatic fashion while placing a hand over her breasts in an innocent manner.
"Act normal dammit!" Ichigo shouted, his face now completely covered in a tinge of red.
"Well this is just what you get for not calling." Ultear replied, crossing her arms and averting her gaze as if she were actually upset.
"Um… I wouldn't know how to call you. Actually, I don't even know how that works here, especially since…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off.
"Well whose fault is that? Leaving it up to the woman to extend contact information is so unseemly of you, Ichigo. Perhaps you truly are just that mean…" Ultear stated.
"I wouldn't want to call you in the first place! And stop talking as if we ever went on a date!" Ichigo shouted.
"Are you… breaking up with me?" Ultear sobbed out through incredibly fake tears.
"What'd I just say?!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"Hahahaha, you're so easy to mess with." Ultear stated matter-of-factly, much to the dismay of the orange-haired teen.
The dark purple-haired woman burst out into a fit of laughter shortly thereafter, clearly taking some enjoyment in what she had 'accomplished' thus far. This was supposed to be a questioning, but it sure as hell didn't seem like one.
'Well, at least if she's laughing she isn't talking.' Ichigo thought.
"Hahaha… but you know, now that I think about it, you really are being a bit mean. After all, what would you have done if any of my advances were sincere? I'd be quite hurt if that were the case given how vehemently you rejected me…" Ultear said, giving a somewhat saddened expression.
At this point she was either a very good actor or Ichigo believed he was genuinely at fault. Still, he had experienced worse situations courtesy of Yoruichi, and as a result of this he was quite a bit more skeptic of people with this type of personality than he used to be.
'Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't you dare fall for it.' Ichigo mentally said to himself.
"I mean… you find me attractive… don't you, Ichigo?" Ultear asked in a quiet voice, a small blush present on her face and a delicate look to her eyes as she peered over at the orange-haired teen.
"W-What?!" Ichigo stuttered, a blush coming to his face upon seeing the evident fragile look the councilwoman now sported. He didn't know why it was set up this way in his mind, but somehow this seemed worse than Yoruichi without clothes.
A moment later, however, it was definitively shown to have been an act as evident by the fact that the dark purple-haired woman donned her smirk once more and winked at him teasingly.
"Gotcha!" Ultear said.
All she got in response was a series of angry growls courtesy of the substitute, but his anger was likely to dissipate the second after he realized she was moving on to more serious matters. She couldn't just keep him there all day, after all.
"Now, onto more pressing matters. Keep in mind that I'm not obligated to tell you this… but the Magic Council has a firm grasp on the situation save for a few variables. If you're worried at all that they will be targeting you, then you have no reason to be. They intend to allow you to stay as you are, and as for Fairy Tail they will likely be left alone as well." Ultear stated.
The orange-haired teen felt a great deal of inward relief upon hearing the words of the pale-skinned woman across from him. It truly was comforting to know the guild wasn't going to be hurt, and the fact that he would be left alone was just an added bonus. However, one thing didn't slip through his mind so easily, and that was the councilwoman's very specific choice of words.
"If you're not obligated to tell me, then why actually give me that information?" Ichigo questioned curiously. He wasn't being ungrateful, but even so this female wizard just made him uneasy.
"You could say that perhaps I like you a little bit… plus, things aren't quite as boring with you around, and I don't think that will change anytime soon." Ultear replied.
"I'm… not sure how to take that, honestly." Ichigo thought aloud.
"Oh? Well then, perhaps what I say next will hit you as a bit more direct. I have a sneaking suspicion that something far more dangerous than Phantom Lord looms in your future… and the very near future, at that." Ultear said ominously.
"Mind telling me why you get that impression?" Ichigo asked, glaring slightly at the time magic user.
"Sorry, I really can't say. Call it a hunch on my part." Ultear replied, a smirk once again gracing her features.
"Got anymore advice or can I go?" Ichigo inquired in a bored fashion.
"Just one thing to add… don't allow yourself to get killed before the next time we meet." Ultear stated.
The substitute felt a cold shiver travel down his spine at the sound of those words. Whenever they were said to him, he almost instantly thought of his inner hollow and felt a great sense of discomfort. Needless to say, he made his way out of the tent as quickly as he could.
At this, Ultear let loose an amused chuckle before leaning back into her chair and stretching out her limbs. She knew very well that the orange-haired teen would think on her warning, so at the very least for the near future he would be alert for whatever it was that 'Seigrain' was planning.
For now not even she knew exactly what it was, all she knew were the key steps and the technical players in his little game. However, at this point she couldn't risk Ichigo Kurosaki's death, not with the potential he had. It just would have been such a waste, and even her master agreed with her assessment.
At the same time if he refused to comply he would just be killed, though that thought didn't sit quite as well with the time mage as the preferred alternative. How everything would turn out was still very much so a tossup.
"Uggg… why do all of the good men have to be so frustrating?" Ultear groaned out.
Rune Knight's Camp: Center
'Thank god that's over with…' Ichigo thought.
Despite the fact that he had expected something completely different than what had just transpired, that didn't leave him at ease. If anything, it was more discomforting in that what he had been told was rather ambiguous.
The fact that he and Fairy Tail were essentially to be let off the hook was all well and good, but that didn't really mean anything in the long run if the councilwoman's words were any indication. Although perhaps there was a possibility that the warning had been directed specifically at him as opposed to the guild in general, but even then such a thing wouldn't make sense given that the council wasn't opting to do anything to him.
'I don't like this… and that woman makes me feel uneasy. I just can't find it in me to take her words at face value.' Ichigo thought.
He believed the dark purple-haired woman to be a sly and untrustworthy individual, plain and simple. It wasn't that her attitude was fake or her personality was rehearsed, it was just that he simple couldn't read her intentions. In fact, he got the same vibe from her as she did from Seigrain upon their first meeting, only with her he didn't quite feel a sinister vibe.
'I just can't tell if she's trying to help me or if she's an enemy… just who the hell are you, Ultear?' Ichigo wondered.
'When the hell did you become such a sceptic?' His inner hollow piped in, mildly startling his technical partner.
'Since when did you start caring? Also, why the hell are you even speaking right now?' Ichigo asked, his eyes involuntarily narrowing.
'Tch, that's the kind of greeting I get from you? I think you were nicer to me when I was tryin' to kill you…' The hollow replied.
'God you're annoying…' Ichigo tiredly groaned.
'And you're a jackass, what's your point?' The hollow countered.
'Just… shut up.' Ichigo replied.
'While we're on the subject, when the hell were you gonna tell me about that dark-haired chick with the nice chest?' The hollow inquired.
'What the hell kind of question is that?! Also, shouldn't you know who she is?' Ichigo exclaimed.
'What, you mad about the 'nice chest' thing? I just used what you thought the second she tried to put the moves on you…' The hollow replied cheekily.
'I did not think that!' Ichigo shouted defensively.
'Yes, you did. Try to deny it all you want, but lying to me is like lying to yourself, and in either case you'd still know if it was a lie or not. Anyway, I also blacked out for most of the time you were here. Why the hell else would I have gone to such extremes to get your simple-ass to hear my voice?' The hollow stated.
'Disregarding that, I ain't spending time explaining to you what happened. So go ahead and bite me.' Ichigo scoffed.
'Ya didn't finally do something with a girl, did ya? Come on, I'm runnin' on my imagination here! Oh wait, I forgot, that ain't possible since even in my wildest imaginations you're still a wuss.' The hollow said mockingly.
"Unbelievable…" Ichigo sighed out.
The substitute continued to walk towards the center of the camp, at which point he was spotted by the other two females that had accompanied him to the location upon his first visit.
"Ichigo!" Mira and Erza called out in unison.
Said man turned to see Fairy Tail's two assumed strongest female wizards running towards him with somewhat worried expressions on their faces. To him, that was perfectly understandable given that they knew of his situation as well as the possibility that his involvement in the Phantom incident had the potential to provoke the Magic Council into action. That, however, was only half of the reason they appeared worried.
"Calm down you two… I didn't get sent to jail or anything. She said I would be fine and that the Magic Council isn't out for my head just yet." Ichigo assured, wanting to say so right off the bat in order to avoid any questions on the matter.
"That's good…" Erza said.
"Yeah…" Mira added.
The two didn't even seem to really pay attention to his words. Rather, they chose to carefully examine his body as if looking for something that was amiss. They wouldn't meet his eyes and they also ignored his very evident look of confusion.
"Um… what the hell are you two doing?" Ichigo inquired evenly.
"Checking to see if that harpy violated you." Erza replied, unable to keep her eyes from forming a slight glare at the mere reference to the dark purple-haired woman.
"Yes, now please turn around." Mira requested.
"She didn't violate me…" Ichigo stated with a deadpanned expression.
A little part of him believed the extremely young councilwoman wanted to try, but there was not a chance in hell he would admit that outwardly as he was sure it would somehow get back to her and bite him in the ass in the near future.
At his words, however, both of the female wizards released a collective sigh of relief. Ichigo actually shared in said relief, despite his confusion, as he too was glad he hadn't been violated.
"You seemed rather deep in thought upon exiting, so we assumed that something unseemly had happened…" Erza commented.
"No need to worry. All she told me was that Fairy Tail would be fine and that I wasn't going to be arrested or anything like that." Ichigo replied, giving the two a small smile.
He saw both Mira and Erza smile back at him in a genuine manner, which likely had to do with the fact that they were basically told things would eventually go back to normal.
A little part of him was guilty for not telling them what else he was told, but given that even he didn't understand what was going on he didn't want to needlessly worry them as well.
'Still… I have to be on guard for a while. Despite the fact I don't know her reasons I could tell that Ultear was telling me the truth…' Ichigo thought.
Explanations:
The Guildhall: It will be upgraded, but after the Tower of Heaven Arc. To be honest, I just didn't want Ichigo and the others being on vacation, because having them leave mid-construction would be… well, kind of dumb in my mind.
What's Next: I guess the next major event will be the Tower of Heaven Arc. The thing with Lucy's father will be mentioned, partially, but skipped over, and the events with Loke will occur, but in the background of the next chapter.
Reviews:
hollowichigo12: Because I felt as if having them take a vacation mid-construction would be kind of dumb. The add-ons will be there after the Tower of Heaven Arc, don't worry. I kind of forgot about Lucy to be honest, mostly because she wasn't really the focus.
owieeey: Can't say ;P
Gravenimage: Bankai will be soon.
Pokemaster94: I assume well. Yoruichi typically gets along with most people.
KratosTheGodofWar: Most likely, yes.
Dark Vizard447: Yes, though I cannot say when or how it will happen.
MEleeSmasher: I like options, so it might be in the cards.
Guest(Person): Lemons will definitely not be in this story. If anything, I will allude to deeds being done and leave it at that.
StarDragonBuster: Natsu will have a pairing in this story.
kvchowe: Ichigo.
GirlFish: I would have made him swap bodies with Erza most likely. Marriage, not in this story, maybe in the future add-ons meaning the sequel. Ichigo is basically god, that is my understanding of what he is.
BleachxFairyTail9121: This story will last a while, likely around seventy or so chapters at the very least, I think. Soul Society, can't say, but by the end it will make sense.
Guest(1): I have a solution to the Edolas Arc, but I can't say what it is.
cellum95: For the purposes of this story, Bleach filler does not exist :(.
BloodRedDemon: Maybe, like I said, I enjoy options when writing.
Guest(2): I have an appearance in mind for the seduction armor, it will not be during a fight.
TheErmsers: Pretty much all of the major ones up to the S-Class trials. There will be things in between, but that will be the definitive last Fairy Tail canon event in this story. After that, it's all custom.