My dear readers, I have returned to bring you another chapter, earlier than planned. I've managed to make quite the decent headway in terms of writing regarding this arc. It's almost finished in fact! So I decided to post this one a little early as a way to celebrate.
This was actually the chapter that took the longest to come out when I went on hiatus since I was dealing with a lot of anxiety due to various personal reasons I'd rather not divulge. Thankfully, however, I was able to get a friend of mine to help write this, and 3 of the following chapters. Each time he was done writing a chapter, I simply went in and added to the fights and modified the dialogue which resulted in the chapter you're all about to read.
There's quite a bit that will take place in this chapter that I'm eager to get your feedback on, so please leave me a review to let me know what you think. Anyways, enough talk, onto the chapter!
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and Weekly Shounen Magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun!
"Ugh, fantastic, my head is throbbing like crazy." Jade Ladro said as she slowly got to her feet as her eyes began to flutter open. As she gained her balance, memories of what had just transpired came flooding into her mind. The guild master of Death's Head Caucus, he had used some kind of teleportation magic to whisk them away… somewhere. A quick glance at her surroundings informed her she was at least still inside of the tower, but now she was alone, unfortunately. "Oh, this is just great." The emerald haired mage said with a sigh. The whole plan Liltotto came up with had gone under the logic of staying close as a group. Losing a member or two wouldn't have made too much of a difference but odds were more than likely that the guild master had intentionally split them up and quite thinly at that. This was going to make thing's much, much more difficult.
"Ah, so you're my opponent I see." Jade was quick to turn around to see none other than Makoto Kibune, the former third seat of squad 3 standing before her, his zanpakutō already drawn. "A shame, I was hoping I would have had the chance to show that ice mage what I was truly capable of. Oh well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
"You make it sound like you've already won," Jade said as she slowly reached for her twin pistols behind her back.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Makoto asked. "I know of Fairy Tail's exceptional mages and you aren't one of them. You're nothing more than a street rat the guild took in so they could have that quincy friend of yours join their ranks. It was a smart move in the end, even if it did involve bringing in such a deadbeat mage like yourself."
If Jade had a shorter temper she was positive that she would have already tried to fill the soul reaper full of holes, but years of experience as an assassin and thief were serving her well. Does he really think I'm just some deadbeat? Fine, I can just take that and use it to my advantage. He would underestimate her at his own peril.
Faster than the eye could see, Makoto had decided to use a flash step and appeared behind Jade, his sword already swinging down to sever her head from the rest of his body. Much to his surprise, however, Jade managed to turn around and aimed one of her pistols directly at his face. His eyes widening in surprise, the soul reaper was just barely able to duck his head as she had fired her first shot, only for him to trip as she then kicked him below his right knee before she knocked him hard on the head with her left elbow. Letting out an angered shout of pain, Makoto fell to his side. One of Jade's guns clicked as she aimed it at him and Makoto was momentarily worried but was gone from Jade's sight when making another flash step to appear behind her again but this time in the air, preparing a downward slash.
When realizing he was right behind her, Jade turned to him with wide eyes and a teething frown before stepping away in an air dash. As she hovered backward, Makoto moved towards her in the same way with his zanpakutō arched back for another swing. With her placement not on the ground, there was no way for Jade to evade him. Thinking quickly, she switched her guns to their sickle form and held them up just in time to block his blade with both of them. Regaining her footing, Jade pushed Makoto back when swinging her weapons. "Sorry, but compared to Candi, you're not nearly fast enough to sneak up on me. I've seen her pull off that technique so many time's that your speed is predictable in comparison."
As he regained himself, Makoto smirked. "Well. You're more capable than I believed. But you're still nowhere capable as me. Still, I suppose if I don't fight more seriously, this fight will go nowhere," After swiping his left hand across the blade of his zanpakutō, Makoto moved it in a horizontal line while shouting, "Rampage. Reppū!" A release of blue energy came from his zanpakutō and changed its shape. Now it was a large, three-bladed weapon connected with a straight pole, with two edges extending like arrow points and the third shaped like a fan in between them. The color was mostly black but it had a silver design over the arrow points. Jade's eyes widened when seeing the alternate form of Makoto's weapon but could sense an increase in his power, too. "Now you'll see the vast difference between us. See why my power is much greater than yours!"
After his declaration, Makoto dashed towards her. Jade jumped up and to her side when avoiding the blade of the giant weapon while thinking to herself, 'Even with such a bigger sized weapon, his speed is the same as before.' In the middle of her dodge, Makoto smirked when turning to her as he swept his stance. He threw the weapon and it spun so fast, the monochromatic design of his Reppū looked like a buzzsaw moving through the air. Jade was caught off guard but recovered and managed to avoid getting hit by arching her back and flipping herself through the air. The smug grin on Makoto's face remained as he moved his right arm. From above her, Reppū moved down and Jade was more surprised. Under the handle of one of her pistols, a chain was shot out to grapple a nearby portion of the asymmetrical architecture inside the building. The moment she had a firm grip, Jade held her gun and pulled herself out of the way onto the ground before running along near the walls. Reppū moved again as Makoto waved his arm. He can control it without even touching it, too? Just my luck. Jade thought with irritation as she looked behind her shoulder, trying to keep away from the flying weapon.
"Hahahaha! Yes! You realize now how wide the gap is between us, don't you? You never stood a chance against me!" Makoto said in wicked laughter as he continued guiding his zanpakutō towards Jade. With a wave of his hand, Reppū moved to the side and went faster to try cleaving her at another angle. Jade noticed and stepped back, causing the morphed sword to hit the wall. In that moment Jade ran towards Makoto and fired ammunition from both her pistols. Makoto, realizing it too late, held his arms up in defense and turned his head away with eyes clamped shut. The bullets hit his arms and the upper part of his legs but also the side of his waist, making him shout in pain and fell to his knees. There was so much pain coursing through him and all the spots Jade managed to hit were bleeding. It wasn't enough he would bleed out but he couldn't fight as well as he had. "Damn you!" Makoto growled, opening one eye at his opponent.
The moment he was vulnerable, Jade switched her pistols to their bladed form. Right as he regained himself, Makoto saw how close Jade was. With her sickles raised and eyes narrowed, Jade glared at Makoto. "You know, any real assassin worth their salt already knows this, but I'll fill you in anyway. Never underestimate your target."
"You...talk as if you have some experience," Makoto spoke as he glared at her. With the distance between them so narrow, even his Reppū wouldn't be fast enough to stop her. Makoto grit the teeth in his frown, Damn it, I suppose I have no choice but to use that thing again. Reaching into his left pocket, Makoto pulled out a large green object that appeared to be made from some sort of living tissue and had a big yellow eyeball. It was latched over his entire hand and when held in front of himself like a shield, Makoto's whole body glowed with green light. Jade noticed and felt a force of energy push her back.
"What is that?" Jade muttered to herself in disgust as the item Makoto took out suddenly grew tendrils under the sleeve of Makoto's shirt before ripping it to shreds. From what she saw, they formed around Makoto's entire arm up to the shoulders and condensed down together almost like the muscle fibers underneath a person's epidermis. The portion around the wrist and flexor was covered by a white set almost like a wrist guard and one curled tendril curled in at the fist, looking like the proboscis of an insect.
Wait a minute, now I remember, Lil said this guy had another weapon, something called a bakkōtō I think. I guess it's safe to say that's what the damn thing looks like. Whatever this new weapon was, Jade was unsettled from its design, alone. The fact she felt Makoto's power rising even further didn't help. With his Reppū drawn again, Jade quickly realized she was in trouble. She barely blocked the spinning blade when Makoto threw it at her. Sparks ignited between their weapons but Jade was being pushed back. There was so much force from the momentum that she couldn't even keep herself from being propelled backward and crashed through the wall. Shouting in pain and fear as she went through, Jade fell to a lower floor. The height of her drop wasn't enough to kill her though she grunted in pain while tumbling. Debris of the wall she was smashed through surrounded her and she was dirty as well as a little bruised while getting up on her hands and feet, still gripping her weapons. She was still inside the tower and looked at the hole in the wall. "Damn it. I knew Lil said it would give him a boost in strength, but I wasn't expecting this much," she said, staggering to her feet then shambling to a hallway. "What a pain in the ass."
Makoto walked briskly to the spot he sent Jade through, calling his Reppū to his side again. He made it to the archway of the destroyed wall and looked around. "Are you finally dead after all that, street rat? I want to be certain. Until I see your corpse or you show yourself, I won't just walk away. If you're hiding then come out."
With her back to the wall, Jade peaked slightly around the corner at her side, seeing Makoto standing high above on a ledge with his zanpakutō hanging over his back. Well this is just great. Not only was that zanpaktou of his really strong, but now it's also fast despite its size. All the momentum from those blades would cleave my body if they don't outright kill me. And now he's got some other new weapon making him even stronger. Keeping my distance is a bad idea. Gotta think of a way to get closer without him being able to react in time.'
Annoyance came over Makoto as he leaped from the hole and down to the same level Jade was hiding among. "Stop being a coward. If you're not going to fight me, at least die with dignity. I promise you'll be killed swiftly and without any pain. It's the least I can do given how much weaker you are to me."
Hands gripping her pistols more tightly and a scowl creasing her face, Jade had more than enough of Makoto's taunting and his superiority complex. God, does this guy ever just shut up!? Quickly remembering the idea she had at the start of the fight, she smirked and relaxed her stance. "If I'm so much weaker than you, then how come you had to rely on that bakkōtō to save your life? Not to mention the fact that so far, I landed several hits on you but you've only landed one attack on me." she said, her voice echoing throughout the room. "Sound's like you're the one having issue's to me."
Inhaling with annoyance from her words, Makoto growled and threw his Reppū. "Be silent, wench!" Running the blade through the walls, he was breaking apart everything he could until Jade was drawn out but Jade was already moving away from her spot and keeping hidden among other portions of the pillars and walls inside the room.
"Why? I thought you wanted to know if I was dead or not. You got your answer, didn't you?" Jade said, her voice still echoing as and goaded him more. "Maybe you should use that brain of yours a bit more. I guess that's why you're going on and on about your power because it's clearly all you've got going for you. Honestly, it's kinda sad."
Makoto shouted in growing anger as he moved Reppū faster and broke apart more of the architecture. "Don't think the fact I had to rely on my zanpakutō and my bakkōtō means anything! You've just been lucky! And luck never lasts! Now show yourself!"
Perfect, now he's really pissed off. I've only got one shot at this because if this doesn't work, he's never gonna fall for it again. Gotta make it count. Jade thought as she remained behind one pillar within Makoto's blindspot. Eyes closed and taking a deep breath, she was using an ability of her own. A blurred image solidified beside her. It looked as if Jade cloned herself. Her copy ran from around one part of the pillar and towards Makoto at the side with her own sickles at the ready.
Hearing her footsteps, Makoto turned and saw who he believed was Jade and smiled maliciously. "There you are!" He moved his Reppū and the fake Jade moved away. Just as she tried running to Makoto again, the zanpakutō came for her again and again. All she could do was dodge, duck, weave or evade in any way possible as Makoto continued attacking her and berating her, unaware the real Jade was steadily creeping within his blind spot. "People like you are the ones I hate the most. Weakness is a sin, yet so many who are weak can join some of the most powerful guilds and other organizations while people like me who are far more superior than you aren't recognized for our natural talent. It's absurd! Someone like you doesn't deserve to be where you are! Powerless people like you don't deserve to stand above me!"
Jade remained stealthy, focusing on getting closer to Makoto but also keeping her illusion up. Hearing the man ramble on was annoying but she didn't let it distract her as her plan continued. She noticed something about Makoto's other item, his 'bakkōtō' as it was apparently called. The spiritual energy from his own body was coming out and being absorbed into it. Though she sensed it was augmenting Makoto's strength, she also sensed his vitality itself was dropping. He's getting stronger at the expense of consuming himself. Is he so obsessed with power he doesn't even care about his own life? How careless can you get? she thought, taking one of her pistols out.
"This is it! The killing blow!" Makoto backed the Jade he was seeing to a corner and threw his Reppū again. His opponent looked behind herself then with horror at the zanpakutō hurling towards her. When it came into contact, Makoto's smile turned to a shocked frown because instead of leaving a bloody mess, her body faded away. "What?!"
The sound of a gunshot filled the room, followed by Makoto's scream of agony. He looked behind himself as best he could, seeing blood coming from his right shoulder. Jade firing a shot through his upper right arm, leaving him unable to effectively move his arm around. Striking quickly, Jade used her other pistol to whip across Makoto's temple. The force of her impact caused his glasses to fall off and knocked him out, leaving a small bruise on his head as he fell to the ground. As Makoto laid there, Jade sighed with relief. "Man, what a pain in the ass that guy was. I'll have to ask Rukia how she-" Just then, she noticed the eyeball from his 'bakkōtō' was moving around and she shuddered. Taking a quick shot, the eye was destroyed. She moved the pistol over to his face then, her eyes narrowing. It was so tempting, so damn tempting to shot the man in the face. She had done it countless times before, under Emberella's orders, after all. This wouldn't be any different than that. No one was here to see what was about to happen, and she could always claim it was for self-defense.
However, as she prepared to fire one more round into the soul reaper, her mind flashed back to the guildhall, where she could see all of her friends smiling at her as she walked inside, Candice in particular slowly walking over to her with a larger than life grin plastered onto her face, Bambietta wanting to take the two of them out on some sort of monster hunt as Natsu and Gray bickered in the distance, only to stop once Erza stepped inside.
No that's...not who I am...Not anymore. She sighed then as she looked around "Honestly, that was too damn close for comfort," she said, looking to find some sort of exit before she found an entranceway to a flight of stairs. Well, no use standing around here. I better find the others fast. After all, just because she had managed to win her fight, didn't mean the others would be so lucky. The sooner they got out of this hellhole, the better.
As Totomaru landed on his feet, he quickly looked around, and quickly groaned. "Damn it all, they really did manage to separate us. So much for Liltotto's plan."
The sound of footsteps caught his attention and he turned with his katana drawn. Out from the shadows came Ryō Utagawa "Is something wrong? You look as if you're surprised to see me. That would mean you're afraid. Because surprise is the same as fear."
"One of the bounts huh?" Totomaru asked, keeping his guard up.
"You speak of the matter as if your life isn't already forfeit because of that fact," the man said before reaching into the breast pocket of his vest and pulling out a golden pocket watch attached to the chain. "I suppose I'll have to just teach you a lesson, I'm here to do my job after all. Apologies but I'm afraid I must kill you." Despite his words, they belied some sort of sadistic intent from the tone of his voice and his visage. As if he was looking forward to murder. "Zeige Dich! Fried!" When swinging his pocket watch around, it extended out and transformed. The object was now a medium-size golden snake with black horizontal stripes along the back, two inward-curving vertical stripes on the top of its head, green eyes with rectangular pupils, a ridge of four rocky protrusions between its eyes, and above its snout and a pale tan underbelly. When opening its maw to hiss, it showed two rows of large, sharp teeth with a long and thin pink tongue coming out its purple gums.
A little curious, Totomaru lowered his stance and kept his eyes on Ryō. "If I have to fight you, then so be it." Holding his katana back with one hand, Totomaru used his free fingers to make a red magic symbol emerge. "Fire Magic: Red Flame Scatter Shot!" Several small but fast-moving spheres of red-colored fire shot out towards Ryō. The formally dressed man was unfazed and lashed the snake around when it turned into a whip-like shape. The fast and precise movement blocked each individual projectile and made them fizzle out.
"What kind of attack is that? It's so basic." Ryō said with a laugh, still lashing his weapon around. He struck the ground around him, creating several indented markings. Out from the damage Ryō caused to the floor came several smaller serpents like the one he used as a weapon but slightly smaller and gray colored. They quickly slithered across the ground and jumped at Totomaru. He was fast enough to cut them in half and they vanished as if into thin air but he didn't see two of them move from his sides as they bound themselves around his legs to hold him in place. Totomaru started to get worried when as he felt his legs being restricted. Just then, Ryō's weapon shrunk down and turned to a medium-length blade shape before he charged at Totomaru with a cheeky grin. "I've got you!"
At the last moment, Totomaru managed to block the sharpened weapon with the side of his own and pushed Ryō back before attempting to cut him. Though he missed due to Ryō jumping backward, he was able to cut down the serpents binding him. Still in the air, Ryō's weapon turned to a whip again but with a spearheaded tip this time and shot it like an arrow at Totomaru. The fire swordsman blocked in time and regained his fighting pose as Ryō stood his ground, moving the whip around again. The length and movement were so fast, it almost looked like he was forming a barrier around himself as he continued leaving lashed marks on the ground or the walls around him. "You can make as many of those snakes as you want. I'll cut them all down," he said before running towards Ryō. Before his sword could make contact, Ryō held his arm forward and the snake changed to coil itself in a large spiral. It blocked Totomaru's katana and sent him back again but didn't have so much as a single mark on it.
"Fried isn't like those lesser serpents I call using her power. No matter how sharp your sword is, she won't be destroyed." Ryō said with a confident grin.
Totomaru's eyes narrowed. "Even if what you say is true, I can just attack you directly! There's no point in me fighting that living weapon of yours."
"How will you do that when you can't even reach me?"
"Like this!" Totomaru said before keeping his katana back and aiming his free fingers at Ryō. "Fire Magic: Orange Flame Wave!" The same magic symbol he used earlier appeared but released orange-colored fire in a crescent shape.
Without any worry, Ryō used Fried to lash through the attack, making it disperse. His smile turned to a frown before he choked and covered his mouth along with his nose while coughing with his head hung, his nose overcome with a terrible sensation. "Ugh! What is that odor?! It's even making my eyes water!"
While his eyes were off him, Totomaru charged again and readied his katana. Ryō regained himself but quickly noticed how close his opponent was. He jumped back to the side but was struck by Totomaru's blade. While it wasn't a deep cut, he did receive enough damage to bleed out and feel a twinge of pain. The bount smirked then before he spoke, "You used some sort of distraction flame to affect my senses then attack me while I was vulnerable. I have to admit, I'm impressed."
The snake formed from his pocket watch, Fried, slithered her head up when coiling around Ryō's arm. "How sloppy of you. I don't see why I should give you my strength if you're going to be so weak," she said, mostly keeping her mouth closed but managing to be heard. "Do try harder next time."
So what Lil and Rukia said is true, that snake isn't just alive. It's also sentient. Totomaru thought, remaining vigilant. I suppose after meeting two flying talking cats I shouldn't be surprised.
"No need to worry," Ryō said to Fried. "Have you made all of the preparations?"
Fried spoke again, sounding almost excited. "Of course." Her eyes glowed red and Totomaru noticed all the markings Ryō made with her had a light blue shine until materializing around Ryō and formed an octagonal star shape within a circle. The same symbol appeared near Totomaru as he flinched but jumped aside, feeling he was about to be attacked. Just as he regained himself, another circle appeared and dozens of the gray-colored snakes emerged. He was almost attacked by them but moved away again, but the process was endless! No matter how many times he tried getting distance by jumping away, the circle kept emerging.
"It's useless. You can try to run but you've already been caught within Fried's 'Snake Net' ability," Ryō said with narrowed eyes and a sly grin. "You wouldn't happen to be familiar with the term 'spinal flexion' would you?"
"As a fire user, yes actually. I am," Totomaru said, still trying to keep himself from being hit by whatever power Ryō was using against him. "It's the kind of thing that happens when you touch something hot and react even before the signal has time to reach your brain."
"Indeed," Ryō said, sounding almost like he was praising Totomaru's knowledge. "That is the kind of physics to the ability of 'Snake Net' I'm currently using. It's as if Fried intercepts the impulse and reacts even before you do."
"Escape for you is impossible," Fried said in a manner of wicked glee. "No one has survived my absolute barrier. It's just a matter of time before you fall victim."
"That's right," Ryō said, licking his chops with a somewhat pointed tongue. "You're like a meek prey, trying and ultimately failing to escape the voracious predator who has their sights set on you. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable."
As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. The Flame mage thought. He was already starting to feel less focused. All the moving and attempting to perceive his surroundings was affecting his reaction while being assaulted at the moment of recovery. All the places he previously stood had columns of the gray snakes standing out and attaching to the walls or the ceiling, leaving him less space each time he moved. A dozen of the grey snakes snuck up on Totomaru again and held him in place. Hundreds came at both his sides before merging together and sending him back when smothered by them until crashing through a wall.
"It's over. How uneventful." Ryō said with a proud tone. The symbol under him vanished like the gray snake columns. The rubble of the damaged wall was all that remained of the place he threw Totomaru. Turning and walking briskly away, Ryō believed his work was done. "What shall we do next? Perhaps we should hunt down the others in the Fairy Tail guild."
Fried hissed quietly. "I like the sound of that. More prey to hunt and devour."
When they were halfway out of the room, Ryō stopped in surprise at the sound of the ground shaking. He turned his head around and saw Totomaru standing in a small slouch but holding his katana tightly in one hand while his contused body and frayed clothes were covered in a bright yellow flame. Totomaru looked up at Ryō with the same confident and determined look in his eyes when saying, "Fire Magic: Yellow Flame Body Armor."
"You're still alive?" Ryō said with wide eyes. "I thought for sure you'd be dead after that."
"I almost was," Totomaru said, thinking back to when he was consumed by a wave of gray snakes that he couldn't outmuscle just seconds ago. "At the last moment, I used this colored flame of mine. Unlike most flames that simply burn things away and provide heated light, this yellow flame makes me or anybody I choose become physically stronger for a time. Not just the muscles. The endurance of those engulfed by it also increases."
Ryō's stunned expression turned to the usual grin he had when saying, "I suppose I should be a little more impressed but even though you survived my attack, you don't look like you're in the best condition. You've only managed to scrape me but you're far more exhausted and damaged than I am."
Taking his blade in both hands, Totomaru smiled. "But I'm still alive. That means this fight isn't over yet. Not until one of us falls."
"I suppose so. This means I can toy with you some more, at least," Ryō said as he barely noticed Totomaru move in a blur. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Totomaru trying to cut him from above but sidestepped away in a backward air dash. "So your speed increases as well. But whether it's because those yellow flames aren't strong enough or you're too damaged from my earlier attack, you're still not fast enough to connect an attack to me."
Totomaru rushed in, slashing away and occasionally releasing red fire at Ryō. In response, Ryō would block or evade and strike back. For every one hit Totomaru would be lucky enough to land, however, Ryō was making two or three more. Each cut was causing him to bleed out and his legs were starting to feel like jelly from his constant dodging. Just as Totomaru finally got in close, Fried became a medium-length blade, the bounts doll clashed with Totomaru's katana as they stood their ground and tried pushing each other back. "What was that about me not being able to connect an attack to you?" Totomaru said with bravado. "Because now that I'm this close I can-" Before he could say anymore, however, the yellow fire around him dissipated, his eyes widening in shock. Damn it, not now!
Ryō grinned then before swiping his sword to break Totomaru's stance before kicking him in his gut and sending him back. Right as he did, Fried turned to a whip once more and managed to wrap around one of Totomaru's legs. With his limb tightly held, Ryō turned and swung his opponent through the air before slamming him back first into a wall. Totomaru fell to the ground hard, now leaning his back to the wall in a slouch and looking up at Ryō with one eye as the pain coursed through him.
With a soft sigh, Ryō grunted in discomfort and felt around his left side where one of Totomaru's attacks managed to cut him. "You're not getting rusty, are you?" Fried said almost accusingly when glaring at Ryō. "The fact you've been hit so many times by somebody as pathetic as this man makes me wonder if you're worthy of being my master."
"Now Fried, there's no need to be that way. It's not like I'm the one on his last legs, after all. Just look at him," Ryō said as he smirked at Totomaru. "He's in much worse condition than me. He can barely keep his focus. I wouldn't be surprised if he faints right here and now. Why don't we put him out of his misery?"
Grunting between his teeth, Totomaru's sword hand trembled as his vision blurred in and out. He's right. I barely survived that Snake Net of his. Now I'm running low on stamina and magic energy. This can't really be how I die, can it? Totomoaru thought. His mind was fading then, back to the distant past.
"You mean it? You'll really become my master?" Totomaru said in excitement, as he looked up to a man with most of his appearance obscured by the shadows cast by his own dojo, whom the man was gesturing to. From the day the man came into his village and slew the sliver Lynel that killed his parents, Totomaru wished for nothing more than to become stronger so that such a tragedy could be stopped by his own hands. He had practiced often with fire magic to hopefully get the man's attention, but he was positive it would have been all for naught. The master had turned away more older students in the past after all. To have been accepted was...surreal.
The person standing over him spoke with a deep, somewhat raspy voice and it was clear he was an elderly man. Even so, he sounded far from feeble with the authoritative tone he carried. "Yes. Seeing your proficiency with fire magic causes me to believe you have potential, Totomaru. I can see the determination in you as well. It's strong and burns much like the fire you wield." He said before speaking again as if warning him of something. "If you truly wish for me to help you grow stronger, your training with me will be harsh. You will work tirelessly and will be pushed to your limits and then be pushed further. I've no interest in dealing with infants who don't even know how to crawl, so prepare yourself."
Totomaru bowed further with head hung and fists to the floor, his voice filled respect yet energized nonetheless, "Yes Sensei! You will hear no complaints from me! I'll do anything you say and take whatever training you have in mind for me! Even if my muscles tear or my bones shatter, I'll never quit! From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for this!"
Time went on and Totomaru did precisely whatever the older man said. Every day was brutal with extremities including routine exercises over well over one hundred times each, pushing large boulders up steep cliffs, sprinting for several miles, and even trying to remain balanced in the most strenuous way possible through a technique called 'Hashi'. Totomaru constantly ached to the point he believed he might die but he pushed past any pain he experienced. Compared to the deaths of his parent's this pain was nothing. When he wasn't going through any muscle training, his use of fire manipulation was constant. He'd always cast whatever spells were within his arsenal until he ran out of magic energy.
Months eventually turned to 3 years as Totomaru ran in exhaustion up a large, rocky mountain as the day sky was turning to sunset. He was quite positive that he was sweating so much that he could probably water plants if there were any around him at the moment. When he finally reached the top, he fell to his knees and panted heavily. The man who taught him for so long was already there, sitting in a meditative stance before he opened his eyes at Totomaru with a neutral demeanor. "You have made it within the time I believed you would. Everything you've promised me those years ago has been nothing short of true. I am genuinely impressed at your patience and your tolerance, Totomaru."
Still recovering from his shortness of breath, Totomaru replied between his inhaling and exhaling, "Thank you… Sensei… I'm honored… by your… praise…"
Grabbing what appeared to be a walking cane right beside the older man, his sensei used it to help himself stand up before turning around. The terrain appeared to be nothing but a dry plateau ranging as far as the eye could see while Totomaru's mentor spoke. "This time I have brought you here not simply to continue fortifying your physique or your own flames. Now you are strong enough and disciplined enough to learn one of my most powerful techniques. At the very least, you will learn to wield a portion of it."
Totomaru was a little surprised and groggily got onto his feet. "Sir?"
"You had best stand back, Totomaru. This power of mine is exceptionally destructive," With those words of fair warning, Totomaru was a little worried and gave himself more distance between himself and the old man standing near the edge of the mountain. The cane in his left hand was held out while his right hand was held back behind himself. When it lunged forward, flames in a mix of orange, bright yellow and pure white came from out of his palm and grew exponentially to over fifty feet high and almost half as wide. It was like a skyscraper of fire so intense that Totomaru felt like he was going to melt away immediately even from a safe distance. Totomaru's eyes were wide, his jaw dropped at what he just saw before falling back. His mentor turned around to face him again. "Listen to me Totomaru. What I am about to teach you, and the flames I will bestow you is something you must only ever use as an absolute resort. And even then, only when you know for certain none of the people you consider your allies can be caught within this abilities range. That is why we are here. There is no way for the flames you will use to possibly spread. You're still young and inexperienced compared to myself. So you must be cautious with how you use it and learn control. Once I have taught you how to be certain you do so in no way other than to save your own life. In only the direst of circumstances. My flames are unlike any other that exists in this world, their intensity can destroy even souls. Do I make myself clear?"
Regaining his composure, Totomaru's expression became a neutral look of respect before bowing to him again. "Yes. Transparently clear, sir."
A terse nod came from the teacher, pleased with his student. "I was right to accept you as my eventual successor. You will make a fine heir for my flames and techniques, in time."
Further honored to hear his teacher say such a thing, Totomaru smiled and bowed further with eyes closed. "Thank you, Master Genryusai."
Of course. I still have the flames my sensei bestowed onto me, Totomaru thought as he nearly toppled over as he tried standing up and gripped his katana with both hands. I'm lucky I'm on my own right now and the place I'm in is mostly metal machinery. It'll be safe for me to use it here.
Ryō chuckled as Fried formed into the whip form but made a spearhead-shaped tip. "You're going down fighting after all. Wonderful," he said before licking his lip. "It will be that much more enjoyable when I see the shocked look on your face before you die." Moving with every bit of strength he currently had, Ryō threw his arm out and the pointed whip went straight for Totomaru with the intent to kill.
From Totomaru's own point of view, everything went silent and all he could see was moving slower. Eyes softly shut as he drew his katana back, the swordsman stayed focused for a moment before whispering the name of what he learned that day. "Taimatsu." (Torch)
In a wave of his katana, an intense flame of red, yellow, and orange under Totomaru's control erupted out of his blade and swarmed around Ryō, reaching over two dozen feet high and nearly the same width. So much fire at once caught Ryō entirely off guard as he and Fried screamed out in immense pain from the heat. Only seconds had gone by before the fire vanished but Ryō's attire was nearly burned all off and his body looked as charred as Fried, the two covered in 2nd degree burns all over their body. The two collapsed silently to the side, choking and too damaged to even move.
Totomaru's eyes opened again as he slowly sheathed his katana and stood, walking to his defeated opponents then looked down at them. "You're lucky I was in a merciful mood. I could have easily incinerated you both until you were not even a pile of ashes. But Fairy Tail would certainly scold me for such an immoral action. Just leaving you with treatable burns should be enough to defeat you," He winced and felt his body ache again when slouching. Turning and limping another way, Totomaru left. I better find the others fast. I really hope they're alright. If the rest of the guys we're fighting are like this...Then we're all in for one hell of a ride.
To say things were not going well for Lucy Heartfilia was an understatement. Having been separated from the group, Lucy was fortunate enough to have met up with Juvia shortly after. Yes, the blue-haired mage had been slightly irritating in regards to her strong desire to reunite with her boyfriend, but Lucy knew that she meant well. After all, she had to admit that she was more than eager to reunite with her own beloved. While she was quite confident that Bambietta was more than capable of protecting herself, Lucy had always believed in the adage of strength in numbers. Besides, the sooner they all got together, the sooner they could get out of this hell hole.
Things had quickly gone south however when the musical assassin Vidaldus had shown up. Juvia had been quite confident in her chances of victory, but the dark mage had a dark trick up his sleeve and had taken control over her fellow guildmates' mind. Now clad in leather pants and revealing purple shirt, she had been quick to strike and beat Lucy down. Before she even had the chance to summon any of her spirits, Juvia had been quick to knock her keys out of her hands, leaving her totally helpless in the pool of water Juvia had created.
After being grabbed by her hair, Lucy was thrown out of the water and hit the ground, crying out in pain. Her backpack was undone in the process, something falling out of it by her side. As Lucy got up on her side, feeling the part of her head where her hair was pulled, she was quick to see what it was: her doll, Gonzales. The memory of her father speaking to her and offering it as a means of making amends between them briefly flashed across her mind. She had been quick to pick it up and held her close, using it as a small means of comfort as she always had when she was younger before she turned to Juvia and spoke pleadingly. "Juvia, listen! If you really want to stay in Fairy Tail with Gray, this isn't the best way to go about it!"
"Oh blah, blah, blah, enough with the friendship nonsense!" Vidaldus spoke! "Get on with the pain baby!"
Feeling her back being struck by Juvia's water, Lucy let out a cry of pain before kneeling over from exhaustion. "Juvia...Please...You have to fight it."
"Forget it, poser, I'm with the winners now!" Juvia cried out to her in a twisted tone that seemed eager to please her master.
"Now we're really rocking! But I need more screams in the mix! Crank some out for me!" Vidaldus went on, rolling his head around and hobbling around on one foot. Juvia, still deep under the control of the rock-band-themed wizard, smiled wider and was glad to follow his command as her right hand turned into water. With a move of her arm, it extended and formed like a whip coming right towards Lucy.
She closed her eyes then as the whip came at her at extreme speeds. It was becoming quite clear to Lucy that it was all over for her now. Without her keys, she had no means of freeing Juvia or taking down her new master. She was going to die, and she'd never see Fairy Tail ever again. Never see Bambietta again. Bambi, I'm so sorry...but you're going to have to go on without me.
However, something unusual happened, then. As if it was controlled by magic, Lucy's doll leaped up out of her arms and jumped towards Juvia's makeshift weapon with its limbs out as if trying to be a barrier for Lucy. Right before the water could come into contact with the doll, it shined with an intense light that blinded Juvia and Vidaldus to the point they had to look away, their eyes shut trying to shield their vision, the latter groaning. "Hey?! What's with the light show?!"
Even with the intensity, Lucy was able to witness her doll glowing and floating in front of her and was in awe when muttering under her breath, "What is happening? Gonzales?" As if it were alive, Gonzales turned its head back to Lucy then shot towards her at great speed. The moment she was touched, Lucy's own body glowed with the same light. For a brief moment, Lucy lost awareness and felt her mind collect itself. When she finally came too, she realized she was on her feet again. Furthermore...she couldn't feel any of her prior injuries. "All of that pain...It's gone. It's like my strength is back," she said at first in confusion before looking down at herself in surprise. "Hey, what happened to my clothes!?"
Clinging to her body was a somewhat naturalistic outfit, in appearance: Her right eye was covered by a rose eye patch but also had a short, strapless shirt made entirely of dark green petals and long, dark green gloves reaching the top of her arms. She also wore a short wide skirt made of dark green petals pointing sideways, pouch-like boots of the same material, and her left arm was adorned by thorny green vines like her legs, having two each. It wasn't just her clothes that had been fixed however, all of the bruises and cuts she had just a moment ago had completely vanished!
Lucy.
Blinking and gasping quietly in surprise, Lucy perked up and looked around. "Um, hello?"
Lucy. It's me. Gonzales.
"Gonzales? My doll?" Lucy asked again, looking around more where she stood as Juvia and Vidaldus were starting to regain their vision. It was then Lucy realized her doll wasn't anywhere near her. "Hold on, what's happening!?"
Lucy. There's not a lot of time to explain. So listen to me, the voice said, Lucy, realizing it wasn't like she was hearing the words through her ears exactly. It was almost as if they were speaking to her in her own mind. Something similar to Warren's telepathy magic yet it also felt like something more...intimate. I'm alive because of you and your parents Lucy. The bonds that we shared, they've literally given me life! A life that I can use to protect you forever and ever! You may have your Celestial Keys but now I can grant you a power that's entirely your own.
Everything she was being told was all happening so fast. It didn't seem unbelievable since it might have been some form of magic as far as Lucy knew but it was still so much to take in. However, as much as she wanted to question it, Juvia and Vidaldus were now looking at her with anger. "What's with the new getup, blondie? Do you think it's gonna help you win against me and my succubus? What a load of crap," Vidaldus said before strumming his guitar. "Let's send this boring prude to Hell, already! Hit it, baby! Show that hippie chick what you're made of!"
"Oh, I will!" Juvia exclaimed with vile glee. Right as her body turned to water from everywhere below her neck and moved like a spinning top with sharp-looking edges jetting out in an asymmetrical way. "My Watter Jigsaw will cut you into little pieces! No encore for you!" In a mad dash, Juvia came towards Lucy with the intent to kill.
Lucy flinched, knowing the attack was too fast for her to evade. She was afraid and instinctively held her arms up in defense but to her surprise, sparkling red lights appeared her in the shape of flower petals forming into her right hand. They all combined together and solidified into one shape once they blinked out, forming what looked like a buckler shield shaped like a large flower. Juvia came into contact with the shield but Lucy was able to hold up against her attack. Quickly gaining her footing, Lucy held back against the attack but surprisingly struggled only a little where she stood. In a quick move of her body's lower half, she moved aside and Juvia's momentum had her going until she nearly hit a wall and regained herself. "Whoa. I was able to block that? I've never been that strong, before." Lucy said in quiet amazement while looking at the armor piece in her hand and allowed her to get a better look at it. It had red razor-looking petals with yellow trim and a centerpiece that looked like a bladed eight-pronged wheel, with a valentine heart design made from light green vines in the middle. "Wow, it's so pretty."
That's not all you have. Reach your hand into the shield, Lucy.
"Reach my hand into the shield?" Lucy repeated with confusion as her free hand tried doing what the voice said. Somehow her hand phased into the central most part, making a ray of light surround her wrist where she touched the metal. At first, it was like there was an empty space within until Lucy felt something solid. A handle of some kind. When gripping it then pulling back, she was stunned and nearly speechless at what she brought out and was able to hold: a sword with a rose motif attached to the spiked handguard and at the bottom sides of a large wide blade. "Jeez! This is a huge sword! How in the world am I even able to lift something this massive?!"
In this form you and I share, your physical capabilities are greatly enhanced. What power you have is far beyond a peak-conditioned human. A weapon with this much weight is no problem for you to wield, even with just one hand.
Lucy was feeling proud and amazed at herself but saw Juvia come at her again with her water in the form of a whip from her hand like before. Jumping away, Lucy noticed how just much faster she was moving and how her body didn't feel any sort of strain. As she began to dodge and weave through Juvia's water whip strikes, Lucy was quick to notice that her speed, reaction time, and stamina must have been augmented as well making her smile. This strength, this power...I can do this! I CAN WIN!
Moving to Juvia with her blade arched back, Lucy swiped at Juvia and hit her blade into her stomach. Despite being impaled, Juvia laughed it off through her smile because the area Lucy struck turned to water. "Stupid girl! That ain't gonna work! My body can't be damaged by ordinary stuff like-!" Her demeanor quickly turned to confusion when she felt something stir in her stomach. If it weren't for the white complexion on her face brought about by Vidaldus' magic, Juvia might have become pale because thorn-covered vines were starting to grow and expand from inside her, coming out of Lucy's blade. "What the Hell is this?! My body!"
"Plants need three things to grow," Lucy said as her magic continued spreading and absorbing Juvia's body as it turned more into water. "Proper sunlight, fertile soil, and clean water! With the plant magic I have in this form, I can find a way around your magic!"
"Hey, you poser!" Vidaldus shouted, stomping one foot while pointing at Lucy. "That's my thing! Find your own special talent and stop stealing other people's work! Cause nobody likes a wannabe! Are you gonna kill my succubus just to stop me?! I didn't take you for the type wicked enough to stoop to my level!"
"I'm not killing her!" Lucy said when turning her head back to the Trinity Raven member. "I just need to keep her hindered long enough that I can deal with you!" Juvia let out a scream of fear before being fully sucked into the vines coming out of Lucy's sword. Her friend now safely tucked away, Lucy turned to Vidaldus with a look of anger. "And I'm going to make sure you pay for what you've done!"
While angry at first, Vidaldus quickly sneered when saying, "Alright, fine! I'll just make you my succubus too!" Just as he was about to play his music again, Lucy thrust her sword into the ground. From several spots around Vidaldus, large vines covered in thorns shot out from under the ground and lashed out at him. His wrists, legs, waist, and torso were all constricted and lifted him into the air, making him reel back as he dropped his guitar. The spined restraints made him wail in pain as he writhed. "Ow! Not cool! Knock it off!"
Standing again, Lucy readied her blade to strike until hearing another voice. It wasn't Gonzales, but somebody else. "Lucy. Can you hear me?" Lucy gasped, quickly recognizing the voice as Juvia. "I'm sorry. I couldn't control my actions. I didn't want to hurt you because I consider you a friend. And I hope that you think of me as one, too. I know that I've been a bit...overzealous in my desire to reunite with Gray." A small grin came over Lucy trying to think of giving a quiet set of words to try assuring Juvia that wasn't the case at all before Juvia continued speaking to her. "But I really do like you. I've grown to like everyone I've met in Fairy Tail. They care about others. They like to have fun. They're so friendly and warm. Fairy Tail wizards are like rays of sunshine that chase away the clouds on a gloomy day. Before I met all of you, I never knew that a guild could be such a happy place. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was making friends that I could honestly trust." Her words after were filled with anguish and regret. Even though she was more or less imprisoned in the viney magic within Lucy's sword at the moment, Lucy could see a sort of image of Juvia, shedding tears. "But who would want to be friends with a girl that could bring them misfortune?"
The expression Lucy had turned to a sympathetic one. "She's crying. Even though I've absorbed all her water I can still feel the warmth of her tears." Turning her attention to Vidaldus, who was still writhing in pain and screaming to be let go of his bindings. Lucy gripped the handle of her blade more firmly. "Someone like you, someone who would shed tears for their friends will always be welcome in the Fairy Tail guild. I know you're a good person. You ARE a good friend to me, Juvia. That's why I'll free you by stopping this guy!" Juvia cried again. This was different though. Not tears of sorrow but tears of heartfelt joy. The honesty was clear to her and it was the first time any girl had said such kind words to her. All the emotional pain was starting to leave her because of Lucy. "Now take this!"
Charging at him with a mighty leap, Lucy drew her sword again and let out a battle cry before leaving a big hacking slash at Vidaldus. The impact had such force behind it that not only did Vidaldus have the wind knocked out of him, and the wall behind him completely shattering from the sheer air pressure from Lucy's blow! Just as the vines dissolved his hair seemed to pop right off like a wig. He hit the ground hard, clearly unconscious just before Lucy landed meters away from him and stood back up. With a sigh of relief, she smiled at a job well done. With that finished, her blade was planted into the ground again. More vines came out from the ground but this time forming into a wide spire shape that quickly grew a rose flower far bigger than Lucy herself. It blossomed quickly and as the flower bud opened, out came Juvia in her true form. She looked asleep but once the vines went back into the ground and Lucy's current form vanished into falling petals of light, the water mage blinked awake where she stood and regained herself. She turned to Lucy with a smile before the two of them hugged each other excitedly.
"We won!" Lucy exclaimed!
"And I'm not a groupie anymore!" Juvia shouted in turn before Juvia whispered into Lucy's ear. "Lucy, I can't begin to thank you enough. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
Lucy was quick to shake her head. "There's no need to do anything for me. Because I know you'd do the same."
Juvia wanted to say more but then, from the corner of her eye, Juvia noticed something. "Say, Lucy. Isn't that your doll?"
Lucy turned to where Juvia looked in curiosity. Right there on the ground was indeed her Gonzales doll. With the hug broken, she went to pick it up and looked at it. "Yeah. I don't get it though. My doll was never magical. So how did it come alive the way it did and give me all those powers?" She thought back to what the voice said. "Gonzales was alive because of me… and my parents. But I don't get it. What does that mean?"
She needed answers, that much was certain. But they had won, and for now, that was what truly mattered. Getting to her feet, Lucy smiled at Juvia. "Come on, we gotta get moving if we're going to save Erza!"
And that's a wrap-up of the first of many battles to come for the Tower Of Heaven, my faithful readers! Now I'm quite sure you have some questions so I'll try to answer them as best I can. But first off, the MPF's for the chapter.
Makoto Kibune, base: 900
Makoto, Shikai: 1100
Makoto, Shikai plus Bakoto: 1450
Jade Ladro: 1200
Ryu Otogawa: 1740
Totomaru: 1480
Totomaru, Ryujin Jaka Flames: 4200
Juvia: 1850
Vidaldus: 2030
Lucy, base: 610
Lucy, Fullbring: 2893
Now with that out of the way, lets focus on the questions you no doubt have.
1. Totomaru: Let's get something out of the way. Totomaru is not a substitute soul reaper, nor is he wielding Ryujin Jaka. This is simply Yamamoto giving him a very small portion of his shikai's flames (About 5-10%. Whichever you feel fits better.) The former head captain has long since regained that portion of the flames he gave him as the years went by, so he's lost none of his power.
But how is this possible? Well, the truth is I took inspiration from both Fairy Tail and Bleach when it came to this idea. When Rukia first attempted to give Ichigo her powers, she had only intended on giving him about half, but something went wrong and he ended up stealing them wholesale. In this case, Yamamoto, with his centuries of experience, simply knew how to give off that small amount of his powers, but rather than giving him his soul reaper powers, he bestowed onto him some of his flames and an Asauchi. This is similar in concept to how Natsu was able to take Laxus's lighting as his own, as well as the many other dragon slayers who learned to do the same, as well as Cana getting Fairy Glitter from Mavis.
Honestly, I didn't have any of this planned when I first wrote the arc, and was honestly a recent idea. However, I knew that if I wanted to keep his character relevant later on as the story progressed, something had to be done. Seeing how I rather liked his character, I decided to go in this direction. As you're aware though, I foreshadowed this back in chapter 56, which I think for a rather recent idea was more than a long enough time for some build-up, as well as the fact that we know little of his background even in cannon.
As for his different flame color powers, those came from my friend. Thanks again, buddy.
But now it's time we switch the discussion over to something I've been foreshadowing for over 13 chapters. Lucy's FullBring.
2. Lucy's Fullbring: I've honestly had this idea in mind for quite some time, down to what it would look like and its basic abilities. Now I love Lucy, she's my 4th favorite Fairy Tail character right behind Erza, Kagura, and Yukino. But while I have enjoyed her growth as a mage in cannon, given the foes that she will be fighting in this story, a powerup was going to be absolutely necessary down the line. She's not just fighting wizards anymore, she's dealing with rouge soul reapers, Arrancar, and many other kinds of beings.
Now her Star Dresses would have been more than sufficient in helping her fight such foes, but while I fully intend for her to get them down the line, it felt a little too soon for her to get them. She's still rather inexperienced for a celestial mage and as far as we're aware, she's the first one to have ever utilized such magic.
So I had to think of something else to help her out. Unlike Totomaru though who I would think of much later down the line, the idea of just giving her a zanpaktou or some other pre-existing power from another didn't appeal to me. Lucy deserved something more unique. Something a Human could use. Then it all came to me. Just give her a fullbring. It didn't take me long to think of what would fit her best in that regard because I had the Fairy Tail anime give me the perfect idea for it in one of its major filler arcs. While The Key of the Starry Heavens arc has some issues, such as its slow pace, the emotional drive behind Lucy and her "sister" was genuinely compelling to me, and given what she really was, I just knew that it would make for a perfect fullbring for Lucy. (Btw, I do actually like the concept of The church of Zentopia and its characters as well. Expect a mini-arc on it down the line)
But how did she get these powers? Was her mother attacked by a hollow? Did she inherit a part of the soul king as revealed in CFYOW as part of the fullbringer origins? A yes to the former, and a possibility to the later, seeing how I didn't know about it until very recently. I'm not ruling it out, but I'm not saying yes either. More will be explained down the line.
I should note, however, that Lucy's fullbring is far from complete, at least in terms of its abilities (looks-wise it's pretty much finalized, though I may modify it slightly as it evolves) She's only just awakened it after all, and much like Ichigo's, has much room to grow. As of now, her power is still less than that of Natsu and Gray, but she's much more comparable to the two of them now than she was in canon.
I'm quite eager to get your thoughts on this chapter, so please leave me a review with all of your thoughts. Till next time!