Zrocker119: Insert obligatory reason for taking so long here.

A Hollow's Fairy Tail

-Start-

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The flight back to the guild hall was quick and one of silence, the pair only stopping once to remove the cuffs from Lucy's wrists. By the time they arrived at the hall, the rest of the guild were had already gathered in the basement, checking over those that had been wounded in the brief scuffle.

While everyone took the time to recuperate Ryu had excused himself and gone up to the infirmary restroom. Once he made sure that he was alone, the Arrancar took off his coat and vest. Setting the articles of clothing on one of the beds he lifted shirt, revealing the no longer concealed hole in his chest.

The lacrima that kept up the illusion, now had a large crack that nearly split it in two with multiple smaller ones that branched to the sides. It must have been damaged from the sudden release of his spiritual pressure. With a sigh he removed the now useless item and covered the hole. He would have to buy a new one once this whole situation was all said and done.

Throwing the lacrima in the trash, Ryu looked himself over and noticed that his hand were caked in dried blood. He filled the sink with water and began to wash it off.

"Everything all right?" He glanced back to the mirror to find Mira leaned up against the doorway, concern marring her beautiful features.

"Yeah," After draining the sink and refilling it he cupped some water and splashed his face. Drying off with a nearby towel Ryu asked, "How are the others doing? Anyone seriously hurt?"

Mirajane shook her head, "Other than the master, no."

"And those that passed out?"

"They're fine," she was startled by the sound of shattering glass. Ryu's fist was now embedded in the mirror, his shattered reflection staring back at him.

"I wanted to kill them," his lip curled upward in disdain as he spoke, "Jose, the bastard that put the old man in his condition. I wanted to do it so bad that I let my control slip...and our friends suffered for it."

A pair of arms wrapped around his chest as Mira enveloped him in a gentle embrace.

"Everyone of us would've reacted the same," Mira stated as she rested against his back. Like everyone else that had been present, she had felt his fury when the master had been defeated. But she had felt something else as well. Maybe it was due to the pair's closer bond, but amongst all the fury, Mirajane felt a sliver a fear.

Her lover had been afraid that he had failed to protect the man that had offered all of them a home. The one they all saw as a father. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know," Ryu started, visibly relaxing beneath her touch. "I just wish that I could've prevented it." He removed his fist from the mirror and grasped her hand. He continued to stare at his reflection. His black and yellow eye flashed as he came to a decision.

"Head back down to the others," he spoke suddenly. "I need to make a call." He caught her look of concern in their reflection. Turning around he cupped her cheek and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I'll be down shortly."

Despite wanting to stay, Mira followed through with his request and returned to the basement, arriving just in time to catch the tail end of Lisanna conversing with Laxus over the communication lacrima.

"-'ll try and get there soon."

With a sigh, the youngest Strauss nodded. Hanging up she turned to address the rest of them. "Laxus and the others are on their way, but it'll be some time before they get here." She looked towards Mira, "How's Ryu?"

"He'll be down shortly. Just had to make a call." Mira patted her sister's shoulder as she walked towards the makeshift bar, where a thoroughly depressed Lucy sat. Taking the chair next her, she spoke, "How are you holding up?"

That earned her a shake of the head, "This is all my fault."

Mira sighed in exasperation, "Lucy, I fail to see how any of this cou-"

"My father hired Phantom Lord to bring me home." Lucy pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head in them. "Levy, Jet, Droy and now the master. They all got hurt because I was selfish and ran away!"

Seeing the normally cheerful blonde in such a miserable and self loathing state caused Mira's sisterly instincts to kick in. Before Lucy could say more she pulled the now crying woman into her bosom.

"I know how to make it all stop." Lucy looked up at her role model, fresh tears streaming down her face, "B-but I don't want to leave. I-I love Fairy Tail!"

"Then stay," shouted Natsu as he punched his open palm. "And if someone tries to take you away, then we'll send 'em packing!"

"Spoken like a true man!" Elfman roared with his fists raised.

Lucy watched as more and more guild members raised their arms with shouts of agreement. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but unlike the one of despair and self loathing she had shed just moments ago, these were of happiness.

"G-guys."

Mira looked down at the blonde with a smile, not unlike that of a mother, and gently hugged her. "We're all family here Lucy. We'll protect you no matter wha-"

The tender moment was shattered by the sudden quaking of the ground, silencing everyone. Not even a few seconds had passed before it shook again. The process repeated, the quakes steadily becoming stronger and stronger. Something big was coming, and whatever it was it was closing in fast.

Without needing to be told, everyone ran up the stairs and went straight outside. The sight of what greeted them caused them to come to a screeching halt. A castle was heading towards their location, walking through the water on four, giant, mechanical legs.

When it was only a few hundred meters away it stopped its progression. Before anyone could begin to question just what the hell was going on, the lower, front facing side of the castle opened, revealing the barrel of a cannon that was aimed at them. A swirl of dark energy began to gather at the tip, forming a monstrously large sphere of raw power.

"Everyone get to cover!" Erza, clad in only a towel as she had been taking a shower just moments before, shouted as she charged to the front of the group. Her form glowed and she was suddenly encased in a high tech looking armor with half of an enormous shield mounted on each arm.

The cannon fired and a beam of pure darkness and energy, several meters in diameter blasted towards them. Just as Erza was about to lock her shields together and tank the blast head on to protect her family, a form blurred into existence between her and the beam.

She only had a second to take in Ryu's sudden appearance before the blast struck. The beam impacted the redhead's outstretched hand, the ground beneath him crumpled and disintegrated as he held it at bay.

The ungodly screech that emanated from the point of contact was unbearable, everyone covering their ears in an attempt to stifle the noise. Ryu's face scrunched slightly as he felt himself slowly being pushed back. Regaining his passive look he brought his other hand forward, completely halting attack.

He could feel as the blast slowly chipped through his hierro, drawing blood. The Arrancar smiled, but it wasn't his usual friendly and caring expression. This smile was almost feral, something that belonged on a beast rather than a person.

Ryu gathered energy into his hands, forming a cero. This wasn't just any cero though as he had used his blood as a catalyst. This one was completely white in appearance, with multiple streams of energy arcing off of the main body, similar to that of lightning.

The gathered energy slowly grew larger and larger, until it finally peaked, roughly the size of a volleyball.

"GRAN RAY CERO!"

With a crack of thunder, the white sphere shot off like a rocket. Spinning like a buzzsaw it tore through the opposing attack with little difficulty. The cero continued until it disappeared down the barrel of the cannon before erupting from within in a brilliant display of light. When the light finally died down, the cannon and a large portion of the front of the castle was just gone, having been completely disintegrated by Ryu's attack.

The Arrancar returned his hands to his sides, the burns already in the process of healing.

Erza reverted back to her normal armor and approached him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he growled. "I'm pissed off more than anything." Had anyone other than himself blocked that blast, they would've been seriously injured, or possibly died. This was the last straw.

"That was an impressive display," Jose's voice could be heard as it emanated from the walking fortress, no doubt amplifying his voice with magic. "But don't think that the Jupiter cannon was the only weapon at our disposal. Return Lucy Heartfilia to us befo-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP," Ryu roared, cutting off the enemy guildmaster and successfully drawing everyone's attention. "You really think that you're in a position to make demands of us!? You who desecrated our home, who assaulted our guildmates and tried to assassinate our master!"

Ryu began to emanate tendrils of energy as he allowed his fury to rise, the pressure around him building up with each word spoken. Ryu raised his hand and flipped Jose the bird, "I think I speak for all of Fairy Tail when I tell you to GO TO HELL!"

Through grit teeth, Jose cursed the fools as they erupted into a cacophony of cheers, while others hurled insults towards him and his guild.

"So be it," Jose turned to one of his underlings, "Activate Phantom MK2!" The underling whose name he couldn't even bother to remember ran out of the room as fast as he could. If these fairies wanted to die, then who was he to stop them.

While they waited for the MK2 to shift he turned to address Gajeel and the remainder of the elemental four, that being Juvia and a newly revived Aria. The other two, Totomaru and Sol were at the power source of the Jupiter Cannon when it exploded.

Whether they were alive or not was of little consequence. They should've been stronger.

"Gajeel I want you to go and retrieve Heartfilia, and take Juvia with you," he quickly added. "I refuse to leave anything to chance." Not after seeing the destructive power Sato was capable of.

Out of the corner of his eye, the wizard saint caught the look of hesitance crossing his Ace's face. "Is there something wrong, Gajeel?"

"...No, nothing at all." Gajeel responded as he left the room. Juvia gazed at him in concern before following after him.

Jose waited until the only ones that remained were himself and Aria. "How do you feel?"

"Like my eyes have finally been opened," the wind mage responded with a dead tone. His skin was a bit on the pale side and even though his trademark blindfold was in place, the purple glow of his eyes could still be seen. "Never before have I felt such power."

Jose reached into his coat pocket, where he clutched the crystal that had been given to him by the stranger. He was hesitant to use it on himself, but after seeing the power it granted one of his own, he would be lying if he said that he wasn't tempted to use it.

Shaking his head, Jose quashed those thoughts. He was powerful enough to send Sato and the rest of those damned fairies to oblivion on his own. Like he required the help of some trinket to accomplish something so trivial.

"What's bothering you Gajeel?"

Gajeel glanced to the blue-haired woman beside him with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange ever since the last battle." The rain woman said with a concerned look. "Juvia is worried about you."

The Dragonslayer held her gaze for a moment before resuming his pace. While he didn't show it, Gajeel did appreciate her concern. Of all the guild members in Phantom Lord, Juvia was the only one that he considered an actual friend and trusted to watch his back.

After a few more moments of silence, Gajeel finally spoke, "You don't need to worry about me. I've got a plan that'll see the both of us through this." He shot her a toothy grin. "I've got it all worked out."

The duo stumbled as the base shook. Looking out a nearby window, they saw the now transformed base drawing an absolutely monstrous magic circle, followed by a tidal wave of their master's shades assaulting the fairies.

"We better hurry." With renewed vigor, the dragonslayer and rain woman picked up the pace. While she was still worried, Juvia trusted Gajeel to see them through this and survive.

"...It turns...into a robot," Mirajane said as she and the others watched the now giant machine draw a magic circle that measured up to its size. "Can't say I've seen that before."

"Same here...surprisingly," Ryu could honestly say that this was a first for him. What wasn't a first though, was the wave upon waves of shadowy figures that were currently floating towards their position.

"T-that's Abyss Break," Cana cried out after observing the magic circle. "But that spell was outlawed by the Magic Council for being too dangerous."

Ryu raised a brow at her, "Just how dangerous are we talking about here?"

"The spells destructive power scales with its size," everyone turned toward the giant at that little tidbit of information. Given how the magic circle was larger than their guild hall, it was safe to say that it would be bad should it be cast.

The Arrancar thumbed the handle of his blade absentmindedly as he contemplated how to proceed. They knew for a fact that at least one of the Elemental Four was out of commission and that Mira was able to handle Gajeel with ease. That left three unknowns and Jose himself.

"Mira, Natsu and Gray." Those that were mentioned faced him, "the three of you are with me. We're taking the fight to them."

"And what of the rest of us," asked Erza, having requip into her heaven's wheel armor.

"The rest of you will stay here and keep them from getting Lucy."

Lucy chose that moment to speak up, "I'm going to fight too. I refuse to sit back and do nothing while everyone risks their lives to protect me."

Ryu approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "And I'm not asking you to do nothing. Help in anyway you can, but don't put yourself at risk. They get you, and it's all over." She looked into his eyes and Ryu felt impressed by how much resolve he saw in her gaze.

"Gray," Ryu said as he faced the ice mage. "Make a path to that monstrosity. The three of you will work your way up." He prepared to use sonido when someone grabbed his arm, halting his departure.

"You never said what you were doing." He turned to face Mira who had a fearful look in her eyes. "Please tell me you aren't going to fight Jose by yourself." The silence that followed was all the answer that she needed. "Ryu, I know more than anyone how strong you are...but Jose is a Wizard Saint for a re-"

She was interrupted by Ryu's lips encompassing hers. The others felt a bit awkward as the couple shared a passionate kiss, but felt that it would be bad for their health to interrupt. A few more moments passed before the two separated.

While Mira was off balance from the sudden display of affection, he sent her a confident smirk. With one last wink, Ryu was gone with a burst of static that she was all too familiar with.

"...He'll be fine Mira," Erza said, placing a comforting hand on her rivals shoulder, "If anyone can beat Jose, it's going to be him."

"I know," Mira hugged herself as she tried and failed to banish the fears and thoughts of doubt from her mind. "But it doesn't make it easier."

"Then we better get going," Gray stepped forward and slammed his hands to the ground. The area in front of them was encased in ice that quickly spread to the lake, giving them a path to walk upon. The Ice-Make mage turned towards his friends with a smirk, "The faster we take out cannon fodder, the sooner we can help Ryu kick that bastard's ass!"

"Hell yeah," Natsu roared with a jet of flame. "Let's get moving then!" Without needing any further encouragement, the dragonslayer took off across the ice. Gray, not one to be outdone, was right alongside him.

This snapped Mira from doubt. With a shake of her head and a clap of her cheeks, the eldest Strauss charged after her guildmates. Being fearful would only hold her back, and that wouldn't do Ryu any good. She could only have faith and help him in anyway she can.

The former Espada walked through the halls of Phantom Lord's mobile base. Shortly after his abrupt entry via smashing through the wall, Ryu was immediately set upon by several dozen members of Phantom.

Not even a minute passed before Ryu continued through the base unimpeded, in his wake lay a trail of unconscious bodies of those that were foolish enough to put themselves between him and his target. He rounded a corner and found himself in a large open room.

His eyes narrowed as Jose stood at the opposite side of the room, his back to the Arrancar. As he moved to take a step though, Jose spoke.

"So you've come to face me alone." Jose turned to face the one that dared to invade his guild, revealing that he had undergone a change of wardrobe. His jester-like outfit was gone, having been replaced by a much more militaristic uniform of sorts. "Then you are far more foolish than I thought was capable. Do you truly believe tha-"

A flash of red rushed passed the wizard's head as small cut appeared on his cheek. He turned to find that the blade that was sheathed at Ryu's side was embedded in the wall, barely a centimeter away from impaling him.

He looked back towards the young man, only to find that he had used the time it took him to turn to close the distance between them. Jose could barely process what was happening before a hand wrapped around his throat and was tossed across the room like a discarded rag.

The saint rubbed his throat and bit back a snarl. Who did this prat think he was dealing with!? With thoughts that promised pain and suffering, Jose got to his feet and flexed his magic power. Screw the monologue he had thought out beforehand, he was going to teach this little shit how to properly respect his betters.

For his part, Ryu calmly grabbed the handle to his blade and ripped it from the stone wall with practiced ease. He could sense Jose's magic power rising to an impressive level, but he quirked a brow at the feeling that came with it.

'This man's energy,' Ryu thought as he brought his Zanpakuto forward, 'it has no feeling other than malevolence.' His gaze sharpened as Jose gathered magic into his hand and waved it in an arc in front of him.

"Dark Pulse," subsequently a beam of energy followed his hand movement, blasting out towards the Arrancar. Ryu retained his calm demeanor as the attack neared. At the last possible moment he lashed out with his blade, deflecting the blast to the side where it collided with the wall and exploded.

He blurred forward with speed that completely eclipsed anything that the wizard had seen previously. Jose was barely able to bring his arms up to guard against a kick that nearly caused the bones in his arms to snap.

Jose retaliated with a wave of shades in an attempt to put distance between them, but the fairy simple twisted his body to avoid the ghostly figures and slashed his sword. The dark wizard was able to avoid all but the very tip of the blade, which caught his cheek.

With a rage induced show, Jose expelled a large amount of magic energy that succeeded in pushing the redhead back to the opposite end of the room.

Rather than crash into the wall, Ryu was able to orientate himself so that his feet touched first in a crouch. With a kick that caused the wall to collapse, he launched himself back into the fray with his sword poised for a thrust.

Jose countered with another dark pulse, but to his disbelief Ryu tore through the attack like it wasn't even there and nearly lost his head for it. Fortunately for him though he got away with yet another cut on his other cheek.

Ryu smirked, "Figured that you would appreciate it if I made it so that your cheeks matched each other."

The vein on Jose's forehead pulsed as he exploded with rage. "Enough!" How dare this boy make a fool of him! He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, recognized as one of the strongest mages in the country. Yet this upstart dared to mock him!

"Shade Entangle!" Before Ryu could understand what was happening, the floor beneath him erupted into a swarm of ghostly figures. The shades quickly entangled his limbs, another wrapping itself around his throat.

The Arrancar immediately tried to free himself but was surprised when he found himself being choked out even faster despite the grip on his throat and limbs not tightening whatsoever.

"Hehe-hehehe, struggle all you want Sato," Jose spoke with sadistic glee. "My shades will just drain the life out of you even faster!" His grin faltered when he noticed that his trapped foe wasn't panicking in the slightest. Instead Ryu allowed his body to slacken, and his head to lull forward. Jose could now see his bored look and dull eyes.

"Is that all?" the redhead asked in disappointment as he began to exert a large amount of spiritual pressure. His body was enveloped in a white glow that destroyed the surrounding shades. "I expected more from one of the famed Wizard Saints, but I guess my expectations were too high."

Jose grit his teeth so hard that he himself was surprised they hadn't shattered from the force he was exerting on them. He was trying to keep a cool head but this little shit just kept pushing all the right buttons. Taking a deep breath, the phantom felt himself calm down, and sent a razor sharp glare his opponents way.

"I'll show you just how powerful this Wizard Saint is."

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-End-