Zrocker119: Was going to wait a little longer before posting this, but I then I though screw it. Enjoy.

A Hollow's Fairy Tail

-Start-

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"Olvido!"

Everything went white. With a single word, the floodgates that held Ryu's power at bay shattered, his spiritual pressure flooded throughout the town like a great tidal wave of white fire. And in the center of the storm was a pair of glowing red eyes.

Jose found himself being forced to summon his barrier in order to fight against the ever-increasing force of the wave and not get thrown back. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the burst of energy halted in its advance and began to recede back into the one who had released it in the first place.

The red orbs glaring into Jose cut out as the energy receded completely, revealing Ryu's once more to all who were present.

Given how much energy the young man had released, the transformation wasn't as drastic as the Saint had expected. The shredded clothes from before were now gone, now wearing only a pair of white hakama pants and his feet were covered in armor, his toes blackened and tipped to a razor's edge.

His forearms were covered in a bone-like carapace that ended in clawed fingers. The armor crept up the outer side of his arms and over the shoulders, coming together at the back of his neck.

From that point it traveled down his spine, only branching out to cover every other rib. His hair hadn't changed, the only difference being that it was no longer held up and allowed to fall freely, reaching all the way down to his shoulder blades.

The last big change to Ryu's appearance was the lack of his signature mask, though the skin that lay underneath was several tones lighter than the rest of his body so the effect was still there, and now had two large, upwards facing horns sprouting from his temples.

And then Ryu opened his eyes.

The Wizard Saint struggled to stay airborne as the air felt like it was going to collapse on top of him.

Those that waited below weren't spared either as even the strongest members amongst Fairy Tail were forced to take a knee.

The guild hall, its structural integrity compromised by the fighting and was already struggled to hold its own weight, collapsed due to the sudden increase in pressure.

Then it was gone. The invisible force that threatened to crush everything was lifted and everyone could breathe easily once again.

"Sorry about that." The stunning silence was shattered as Ryu observed his hands, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly as if he couldn't quite remember how to use them. "But as I said, it's been some time since I've used this form."

"W-What are you?" Jose couldn't stop his hands from trembling, his eyes locked on the very visible hole that bore straight through the red head's chest. Exactly where his heart should've been beating. "You're not human!"

That earned a slight shake from Ryu. That shaking turned into a small chuckle before quickly falling into full-blown laughter.

"You're right." He sent Jose a deadly grin, his slightly sharper and more pronounced canines seemingly gleaming in the sunlight. "But that doesn't matter."

A subtle switch of the hand was the only warning Jose received before Ryu disappeared from sight. Sensing him to his left, Jose's arm snapped out, ready to unleash a wave of darkness that would blanket the space beside him. But just as he began to release his power, an armored hand grasped him by the face from the exact opposite direction.

Jose was thrown through the air, flipping head over heels as he tried to stabilize his impromptu flight. After several hundred meters he managed to right himself. Gathering his magic he moved to use the distance he had gained to his advantage and blast the brat from afar, only to see the Fairy was already on top of him with his fist pulled back.

Reacting on instinct Jose shoved his magically charged hand forward, catching the fist in his palm, and even though the force behind the attack was enough to drive his arm back, Jose was able to hold his ground. However, the grin left his face when he felt Ryu's other fist, moving faster than his eyes could track, embed itself in his stomach.

Spittle and blood flew from his mouth and his face contorted as he let out a silent cry of agony, one that only worsened when Ryu twisted his fist whilst it was still in his guts, before finally pulling it out. Jose bent forward in pain. A reflexive instinct that Ryu capitalized on with a hammer blow to the back of his skull, sending him plummeting into the waters below.

He didn't stay down for long though, rocketing back up at speeds that someone his age didn't have a right to, unleashing dozens upon dozens of shades that were quick to ensnare the Arrancar.

Ryu was quickly encased in the white flames granted to him by his resurrection. All of the wraith-like shadows were burnt away before they could even get close. Raising an open palm, Ryu caught Jose by the wrist.

Seeing that his surprise attack had failed, Jose attempted to pull back, only for Ryu to twisted his body and throw the wizard over his shoulder, away from the shore and out into open water.

Sparing a glance down to his guildmates, Ryu bounced lightly in place, rolling his shoulders and neck to loosen up his muscles before crouching and launching himself after his foe.

Catching up to the wizard in record time, Ryu's arms became a blur as he unleashed a flurry of punches, each having enough force to generate shockwaves.

For how off guard he had been caught, Jose did an admirable job at defending himself from the redhead's onslaught. But it was all for naught because for every blow he managed to avoid or block, a dozen more hit an unguarded area.

Deflecting a punch that could hit his kidney, Jose, in an amazing display of flexibility, bent backwards in a way that shouldn't have been possible for a man his age, flipping back to put some distance between.

But that turned out to be a mistake.

Within the few moments that Jose had lost sight of him, the Arrancar had disappeared. He was just gone. Before he could even begin to wonder where his foe had disappeared, Ryu was back in his sights. The problem being that he was now above him, leg poised for a brutal axe kick.

With his current position compromising his ability to defend himself, Jose created a barrier around his skull and did his best to brace for impact as the leg dropped.

The shield may as well have not existed for it offered no resistance to the Arrancar, shattering instantly, followed by the deafening crack of his heel impacting against the man's skull.

Flipping through the air, Jose's body hit the water with a crash, hitting the rock bed and creating a geyser of water reaching several hundred feet in the air.

Ryu stared impassively as the choppy water settled back down. Several seconds passed and nothing happened, he let out a sigh and spoke with crossed arms. "Enough. Other than that gut shot, I know that you hardly felt those."

Seeing that the jig was up the Wizard Saint calmly rose from the water. Other than his clothes being dripping wet and messed about, he didn't appear to be injured in the slightest, sporting a confident smirk.

"What was it that gave me away?"

"The change in your fighting style," Ryu revealed like he was casually commenting on the weather. "Before you focused mostly on throwing shades and magic blasts. But now you're hardly using them. If you were really trying to kill me, then you wouldn't have switched your tactics."

Jose's slow clap echoed for all those watching to hear. But it wasn't mocking in the slightest as the dark mage was genuinely impressed by the young man's observation. "How very astute of you. With your level of power and intelligence, I can see why you were the one that came to face me."

"Flattery won't save you," Ryu responded dryly. "But from this point onwards, I would suggest taking this fight seriously." A wall of flame flared behind him which then condensed into dozens of bladed weapons. Each and every one of the poised towards the Wizard Saint. "Cause I'm done playing around."

"...Very well then," Jose's eyes took on an even darker tone as he flexed his magical might, enveloping him in a pillar of darkness. With but a gesture of his hand he summoned forth a wave of shades that immediately began to flood toward the lone Arrancar.

The redhead didn't falter but instead chose to respond in kind as he let loose his projected weapons. Fire met shade, becoming a literal battle of light and dark. For every weapon or shade that was destroyed, there was a dozen more to fill the vacancy.

Seeing that their respective barrages could go on for some time, Ryu took the initiative and blurred out of sight.

Feeling the hairs on his neck stand up, Jose spun on his heels and lashed out with a devastating back hand that rocked Ryu's jaw. But the mage didn't come out of the exchange unscathed as the annoying fairy used the momentum he gained from the blow to twist his body in a way that allowed him to retaliate with a kick to the side of Jose's head.

Dazed, he was only able to bring his guard back up after being on the receiving end of a barrage of punches that rocked his whole body. His bones barely holding together under the strain. Deflecting another punch, Jose countered by pressing hand to Ryu's kidney and unleashed a dark pulse upon contact.

Feeling an organ or two nearly rupture from the blow Ryu summoned a sword to his offhand and went on the attack, but only managed to graze the Saint's arm before the man retureted and summon forth dozens of shades that immediately swarmed him.

Armed with fire and blades, the Arrancar hacked, slashed and burned his way through the swarming mass, launching more blades the moment he broke free. While the barrage was easily dodged by the wizard, it provided him with an opportunity to close the distance that Jose had created.

But his opponent was not one to be easily distracted. Shadows twisted and contorted around him, stabbing outward whenever Ryu tried to get close. Trusting in his body's natural durability and enhanced healing, Ryu forced himself to plow through and ignore the dozens of wounds that were being inflicted upon him.

Wide-eyed at the man's high pain tolerance, Jose barely managed to form a sword to block the one that threatened to bisect him in two. Staring dead into Ryu's eyes, his own widened even further when he saw a glow emanating from behind the Fairy's grit teeth.

Before he could begin to retreat, Ryu's teeth parted, unleashing the cero he had been charging but it was different from the ones that the others had seen previously as the core was pitch black and had a white outline.

The blast was so powerful that it encompassed the two and their immediate surroundings instantly. The concussive blast reached all the way to the shoreline, forcing many to shield their gaze, while the smoke that followed made it difficult for those watching to tell just what the hell was going on.

Within the center of the cloud Ryu let out a long sigh, believing that the release of a cero oscuras had been enough to finish the fight. The moment of victory was short-lived, however, when Jose blindsided him with a magically enhanced haymaker.

The resulting concussive wave parted the lingering remains of the cloud. The Arrancar skidded back several meters before his feet found traction and managing to stay upright. Working his jaw Ryu spat out a glob of blood, along with a tooth that grew back seconds later.

Turning his attention back to Jose, he saw that the master of Phantom Lord wasn't fairing too well. While he had survived the cero oscuras from point blank range, a feat that few could boast, it had come at a heavy price.

For the wizard's left arm was entirely disintegrated. A smoldering shoulder being all that remained.

But when Jose continued to bring forth yet another wave of shades, Ryu knew that something was off. With that amount of power Jose was throwing around, he should've been showcasing some signs of magical exhaustion by now.

But he was still going as if he hadn't wasted a drop the entire time.

Little did Ryu know that Jose's thoughts mirrored his own.

'This doesn't make any sense. I've long since figured out that this brat isn't using magic, but his power has to come from some sort of source, yet he's still fighting at the same capacity as before. If anything he's getting even faster.' Jose wracked his brain for an answer as to how this was possible yet couldn't draw any conclusions that made sense.

"Where are you drawing your power from!" Using his remaining hand Jose lashed out in anger with a dark pulse that split into a dozen smaller blasts. His rage grew when each was easily dodged by the accursed fairy. "You should've run dry by now!"

"I could say the same for you." The redhead was suddenly in his face and had already started raining blows upon him before he could even bring up a proper guard. His lack of a second arm really showed through as he could barely put up any sort of defense.

A particularly brutal gut punch, followed by a cross to his cheek left the wizard in a daze, causing his flight to momentarily drop. Taking advantage of the man's sudden loss of balance, Ryu kept up the assault, his body becoming alight with fire. Blow after blow the two climbed higher into the sky, before finishing off with a heel drop.

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"T-this is unreal."

Though Natsu was the one that spoke, his words carried a sentiment that was shared by the rest of the guild as they stood by and watched the battle reaches its climax. A strong wind forced many of them to brace themselves or be blown away by the sheer power that the two titans of magic were releasing.

The only ones not all that affected by the gales were Gin, Laxus, Erza and Mirajane, the latter of which had recovered enough of her strength to stand without support.

"It's over," Gin stated when he saw the extent of the damage dealt by the oscuras. Whereas Jose stood a chance before, the loss of his limb left him at a huge disadvantage. These thoughts were confirmed moments later when the tide of the battle quickly shifted and proceeded to stay in Ryu's favor.

"How are they both still fighting," voiced Laxus. "With how intense this battle is, you'd think they would've at least slowed down. But they're still moving at the same pace."

Gin held his chin in thought. "While the means of which Jose is able to is beyond my knowledge, I do know how Ryu's able to." He spared a glance at Mira. "Has he ever told you about the Espada?"

"The Espada?" Mira thought back on all the conversations that the two had shared. A few seconds passed and she shook her head negative. "Sorry, but he's never mentioned anything by that name."

"I see." Returning his attention back to the fight Gin continued speaking. "To keep things brief, the Espada was a group of ten figures of power in a similar manner to the Wizard Saints. Ryu was given the rank zero, the strongest of order."

"There's more to it than that though. Other than the rank and the opportunity to form their own Fraccion, the Espada was also granted an aspect of death to govern."

The resulting silence amongst the group was all but deafening, filled only by the sounds of the ongoing battle before them.

"What the hell are you talking about!" growled Laxus. Govern an aspect of death? What the hell kind of bullshit was this guy trying to feed them. But Gin ignored the outburst and continued on with his explanation.

"Rage. Solitude. Aging. Sacrifice. Emptiness. Despair. Destruction. Intoxication. Madness. Greed." Gin spoke words that at first seemed to hold little meaning to the conversation at hand. But the next words he spoke sent chills down everyone's spine. "All of these are aspects of death. And each Espada holds sway over one of them."

"And which was given to him?" When Mira spoke she, for the first time, turned away from the fight to look directly at the Rune Knight. "What is the aspect that Ryu governs?"

Other than the sounds of battle, the air between them was completely silent. For a moment Mirajane thought that he would refuse to give her an answer, when at last he spoke.

"His aspect is fear. All worries, insecurities and every other word for it fall directly under his jurisdiction, allowing him to take in all of those emotions and use them as a source to draw from and replenish his strength."

Another concussive wave echoed through the area, forcing them to shield their eyes. Though they noted that the blast grew weaker and weaker with each one that followed. It would seem that the battle would soon reach its end.

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Blood seeped from the many wounds that littered Jose's aged body, soaking through his clothes and staining the once pristine uniform. The sole reason he hadn't passed out from blood loss was due to the unbridled hatred for the one who was responsible for the wizard saint's current state.

Never before did Jose believe he could loathe one as much as he did Makarov, but now even that couldn't compare to the overwhelming rage he directed at this man, this monster that stood before him. The one that had barred his path towards revenge, taken his arm, and trampled his pride.

And ever since Sato had undergone his transformation, not once had he verbally lashed out. All he had shown while trading blows with a man that was aiming to kill him, was utter indifference, as if the whole battle was nothing more than a small obstacle to overcome.

Reaching into his coat, Jose once more drew upon the magic energy stored within the crystal that was given to him. How the stranger had come across such an object he would never know, but it was the only reason he was even able to keep up anymore.

With a fresh supply of ethernano flowing into him, the pain of his injuries faded to the back of his mind. But he was no fool. If this continued on for much longer and Jose didn't receive medical attention soon, then he would die.

Raising his palm to the sky, the maddened wizard focused and began gathering energy.

'One last spell,' he thought as tendrils krept across his vision. 'All will end with this last spell.'

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When Ryu felt Jose's magic return to full capacity yet again and put distance between them, his eyes narrowed. Before he would have simply re-engage with either his shades or blasts of magic.

Not liking this one bit, Ryu decided to take this moment to refill his reserves as well and drew upon the emotional turmoil of all those present. His guildmates weren't spared from this. While the knowledge of using those he saw as family and rendering them little more than batteries caused his stomach to turn, if it meant that they would be safe then he would endure the discomfort.

A spike of magic brought him out of his thoughts and Ryu saw that Jose's sheer magic presence was causing storm clouds to form above them. He had heard rumors that a battle between two wizard saint level mages could cause shifts in the weather, but to experiencing it first hand really put into perspective just how powerful humans in this reality could become.

"I'm putting an end to this farce!" If it was possible, Jose's appearance had become even more sickly. His skin was now ghostly white, the veins around his eyes had become engorged and now glowed a purple hue, his eyes had lost all traces of sanity and were completely blacked.

"I'll wipe out you, your guild and the rest of this town off the face of Earthland! Never again will I be looked down upon!" With as much magic focused into his hand as possible, Jose brought the limb crashing down, leaving a trail of shades in its wake. "DEAD WAVE!"

The name was an apt description for the spell, as that was exactly what Jose unleashed. A tidal wave of darkness magic erupted from his palm that closed the distance to Ryu at a frightening pace.

With hardly any time to prep, the arrancar was left with little options and threw out his palms. The armored carapace on his arms was shattered within seconds. The skin beneath becoming little more than chard flesh an instant later. The pain was immense as his healing repaired the damaged nerves. It was unlike anything that had come before it, but he held still. He refused to let the attack pass him by.

Ryu felt himself getting forced closer and closer toward the rest of the guild. He pumped more and more power into his arms, but he just felt Jose somehow increase his output further. It wasn't till his feet touched stone that he spared a glance behind him. The hope filled gazes of his guildmates stared right back.

Their mouths were moving, but their words were muted. Nothing could be heard over the roaring darkness that he was struggling to hold back. But he knew what it was that they were doing. They were cheering him on. Putting all of their hopes on him.

And despite the direness of his situation, Ryu couldn't keep the somber smile from his face. These...these were people worth dying for. He had withheld his true nature, deceived them for years, and yet they were willing to bet everything on him.

A small voice in his mind whispered that it was only in the heat of the moment, and that their opinion would shift soon after the danger passes. That he would be shunned a be left with no other choice but to leave and start over yet again.

He knew this voice well, for it was the same one that kept him from revealing his hollow hole to the woman that he loved.

But he wouldn't listen anymore.

Snapping his head forward, Ryu eyes glowed white, a fiery aura enveloping him as he tapped into the depths of his own fear. The pain and fatigue faded away, replaced with strength the likes of which he had never felt before.

Unknown to him but visible to those that cheered him on, was to sight of his spiritual pressure slowly bleeding from white to black. But before it could shift completely, Ryu let out a primal roar that snuffed out all other sounds.

His aura shifted back to its normal white, becoming a tangible flame that spread outwards in front of him and willed it forward. The fire obeys its master's commands, enveloping the darkness, reaching all the way up to Jose, who was forced to cut the attack off for fear of being ensnared as well.

With its supply of power cut off, Ryu used the flames to force it into the shape of a sphere, one that was dozens of meters in diameter. From there he compact it onto itself, growing smaller and smaller with each passing moment before being no larger than an apple that hovered between his hands.

Once it was at that stage he slammed his palms together, snuffing out the attack that would've wiped them all out, but it wasn't without cost.

The damage that Ryu had sustained from taking blast was severe. He could no longer move his arms, now covered with third degree burns. They would recover with time, but not before this battle was over.

Not that it would matter. He had fought without his arms before and could do it again. Summoning what little strength he still had, Ryu slowly began to make his way back up towards his foe, only for a hand to grab him by the shoulder.

He snapped back to glare at the one that had halted his advance, but the sight of Mirajane's tearful gaze caused all the fight he had to slip away. As he was pulled into her warm embrace, Ryu became aware of just how exhausted he was.

"You've done enough. Let someone else finish it," he heard her say. Subconsciously reverting back to his sealed state, Ryu allowed himself to breathe easily and rest his head on her shoulder. The last thing he saw before falling asleep was the Gin walking passed.

Meanwhile Jose had retreated back into the head of his mobile fortress and was frozen in disbelief at his strongest spell being negated. Even after all the strength he had put into it, the damned redhead still refused to perish. While still processing just what the hell had transpired, he failed to notice two things.

First was the man that appeared just a few feet from him, while the second was that the crystal held within his pocket was now cracked, pulsing ever so subtlety.

"Well then," Gin spoke in a way that was too cheerful for the situation at hand, "seeing as how you're alone and are gravely injured, now would be a good time to remember, despite everything, that surrender is still an option."

"...Surrender." Jose's voice was but a whisper, but Gin heard him nonetheless. "You, you would have me believe, that this war would end in a way that didn't result in the complete annihilation of that acurrsed guild."

Gin merely stared as the man spat at his feet.

"You think that I am defeated," His hand reached into his coat and grabbed hold of the crystal once more. "I'll sho-"

He felt himself voluntarily lerch back as if struck. A sudden coldness spread through his body, starting with his chest. As blood began to steadily trickle from his mouth, the wizard saint turned his gaze downward. His eyes widening at the sight of the hole that went through his heart.

'W-when did that get there.'

"Korose," Gin's hand moved forward, stopping only when it rested against the wizard's chest, "Kamishini no Yari." The former shinigami captain watched with an impassive gaze as Jose's body was broken down and dissolved on a molecular level faster than the man could begin to process his death.

Some might say that it's overkill, but Gin had watched the man go blow for blow with Ryu's Resurreccion and somehow recuperate his magic just as fast as it was spent. He was taking no more chances.

He had begun to make his way back to the others, when he noticed something fall from within the dust. It was a blacked crystal about half the size of his palm. He was barely able to make out the crack that ran up along its side before noticing the quickening pulses of magic emanating from it.

Gin had a second to analyze the object before the entire giant was enveloped within a destructive vortex of magic energy.

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Unbeknownst to all that had been affected by the warring guilds, was that they were being watched. Several miles from the Magnolia a man sat underneath the shade provided by a tree. Within their hand was a lacrima from which they had watched the entire war unfold before their eyes.

Upon seeing the crystal that had been given to Jose suffer catastrophic damage from overuse and subsequently self destruct, the man tucked the lacrima into his jacket, rummaging around before he retrieved a pack of cigarettes and lighter.

Striking one up and taking a drag, he leaned back against the tree.

"Gonna have to ask Sammy to make some adjustments."

The man could be considered handsome. With long blond hair that was set into a ponytail and a thin goatee. His eyes were a dull red, almost black in color. His clothes consisted of a simple suit black suit and red shirt.

The man let out a puff of smoke. "But other than the whole explosion thing, the crystals performed as expected." Something vibrated from within his pocket, earning an exaggerated groan from the man.

Sitting up the man put out his smoke and retrieved a lacrima that was different from normal, being in the shape of a small slate rather than the usual sphere.

"...how does this damn thing work again?" The man fumbled about as he tried to get it to work, the thing vibrating throughout the whole process. He totally didn't let out a shout of success once he figured it out.

Clearing his throat the man rested it against his ear and spoke. "This is Krus."

"...I see. The usual place?...Alright, see you in a week." Hanging up and returning the lacrima back to the depth of his jacket, the now named Krus decided to lay on the cool grass and enjoy the gentle breeze. It would be one of the few times that he could for the foreseeable future.

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Opening his eyes, Ryu found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed with an equally unfamiliar ceiling above him. He moved to sit himself up, but the moment he so much a twitched his arms caused them to flare up in pain. So much so that he was barely able to stifle the cry that threatened to spill from his lips.

Steeling his nerves for something he will no doubt come to regret, Ryu quickly sat up. His premonition proved true and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from letting out a roar of agony. It was by far one of the most painful experiences of his current life as it felt like someone had replaced his bones with crushed glass.

But Ryu fought through the pain and succeeded in propping himself up. Taking deliberately slow and steady breaths, he was able to blink away the blur that had taken over his gaze and realized that he was in what appeared to be someone's home.

Now knowing where he was the redhead turned his attention to himself. The first thing that he noticed was that he had been stripped down to his undergarments. His chest was bare, leaving his hollow hole completely exposed.

He had already revealed that little tidbit to the guild before the final confrontation so that wasn't as concerning as the fact that his left arm was gone and that the other was completely wrapped in bandages. Ones that were bleeding through in some places. Taking a quick stock of his spiritual energy, Ryu saw that his reserves were all but completely drained.

Almost every last drop had been used up in his fight against Jose. The little that remained was barely enough to sustain himself. It was no wonder his wounds had yet to heal. His reserves would refill eventually, but it would be several weeks before he would be back to full strength.

The sound of a door opening pulled Ryu's attention away from himself and to the one that had entered, coming eye to eye with a surprised enderly woman that he hadn't met before.

She was quite tall and had long pink hair. The two stared at one another for a moment before the woman let out a scoff.

"Why am I not surprised that you're awake already." She grabbed a few supplies from the cupboards and approached him. "I swear every member of this guild has a death wish. Hold still."

"Excuse me bu-" Ryu let out what could only be described as a high pitched yelp as the woman raised his arm and began to undo the bandages of his remaining arm.

"Be quiet. You wouldn't want to wake them now would you?"

Following her gaze Ryu saw that he hadn't been quite as alone as he thought. Lying in the next bed over was a heavily bandaged and asleep Gin. Seated in a chair right beside himself though and resting her head on the bedside table was Mirajane. She must have been there for some time as he hair wasn't quite as neat as she usually had it.

Breathing evenly as she slept Ryu noticed that there were trails of dried tears on her cheeks. No doubt caused by worrying about himself.

He hissed in pain as the last of the bandages were removed, allowing him to see that several layers of skin was missing from his arm, leaving nerves and muscle tissue exposed.

"Your arms were badly burned. So much so that they couldn't be saved and had to be amputated. Mirajane informed me of the extent of your ability to heal, so I trust that this won't be too much of an issue?"

He shook his head before speaking in a soft tone as to not wake the others. "Once I have time to recover my strength, I'll be good as new. How long have I been out?"

"Three days," he hissed as she started to apply an ointment to his wounds. The immediate pain caused by this was soon replaced by a cool, numbing sensation as the medicinal properties began to take effect.

Damn. Ryu couldn't remember the last time he had been unconscious for that long. "I don't think we've ever met. Ryu Sato."

"Porlyusica," she introduced herself, "now be quiet. I can barely stand having people in my house as it is. Now that you can actually speak just makes it that much more unbearable."

Ryu took the not so subtle hint and kept any questions he had to himself, staying silent while Porlyusica re-wrapped his wounds in clean bandages, doing the same with Gin before leaving once more.

Once she had left Ryu finally spoke. "How much longer do you plan on faking?"

Knowing that the jig was up, Mira let out a tired sigh. "Just long enough for her to leave. I'm surprised that she even let me stay as long as I have." She gave him a look over, taking care to not let her gaze linger on the hole in his chest. "How are you feeling?"

That wasn't the question Mira wanted to ask and she was aware that he knew that.

"I'll recover eventually." As carefully as possible, Mirajane took his hand into her own. There was some discomfort, the ointment had done wonders for the pain. The two stayed like this for several minutes. Neither speaking a word. But it didn't last.

The tears couldn't be held back any longer and trailed down her cheeks, "When you threw me out of the way, and I saw the hole." Her whole body shook at this point, "I thought that I had lost you."

"But you didn't," It tore Ryu apart to see the woman that he loved in this state. He slowly brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed away her tears. "Sure I got a bit banged up and the guild was destroyed, but everything worked out in the end."

She took his hand in both of hers and pressed her lips against the bandages.

A moment passed before Mirajane's gaze finally settled on the hole through his heart. "Has it always…" Ryu took a deep breath and nodded. "Why did you hide it from me?"

"Cause I was afraid that you would look at me differently." He answered honestly, no matter how painful it was to admit.

There was a hurtful look on Mira's face when he said that. "Do you really think that I'm so petty? That what we have means so little to me?"

"What I am is something that shouldn't exist!" The calmness that Ryu always displayed cracked as his emotions leaked through. "I was dead Mira! Dead! For a second time! And something, for reasons that I haven't the slightest idea as to why, decided that I was worth saving even if I didn't want to be."

"But then I met you," he spoke much quieter now, tears falling from his eyes. "Joined the guild. Found a place that I truly belonged. But when I saw us growing closer, the fear of you finding out what I truly was drove me to hide the nature of my existence."

"Then please," Mira pleaded, "Explain it to me. I want to understand why you thought it was necessary to hide this. Please Ryu."

"...Alright," his voice was naught but a whisper. "I'll tell you."

And Ryu did. He told her everything about what he was. About how he first awoke in the harsh white desert of Hueco Mundo and what he had to do in order to survive. When he met Nel and took her under his protection and eventually evolved into a Vasto Lorde, earning the attention of the powers that be.

He told her about how he became an Arrancar and his time amongst the Espada. How he found a father figure within Starrk, his friendly rivalry with Grimmjow and the respect he held for Aizen. Of how his memories slowly came back to him and how he discovered the truth behind his death.

Ryu spoke for hours and throughout it all Mirajane listened. Never questioning, never interrupting.

"I died sitting against my sister's grave stone." Ryu throat was dry, having never spoken for so long before. "I felt every last bit of the strength I had worked so hard for slip away, and I didn't care...then I awoke in a forest as if nothing had happened."

"At first I was confused, and then there was nothing but anger." He let out a laugh, one with a distinct bitterness to it. "Out of everyone that had died in that pointless war, something chose me. It was shortly afterwards that I came across you, Lisanna and Elfman. And well you know the rest."

He was finished with his tale, and Mira sat quietly. Still processing all that Ryu had laid before her. It was so much to take in...but she couldn't help but be a bit disappointed in him.

"And you thought this was worth keeping hidden from the guild, from me?" Mira raised a hand and chopped Ryu right on the center of his head. She was none too gentle about it either.

Ryu let out a yelp, instinctively rubbing the area that had been struck, only to let out another due to aggravating his arm.

Mira shook her head. "For such a smart man, you really are a dumbass."

"What the hel-"

"Shut it!" Ryu wisely held his tongue at the sharp look he was on the receiving end of. "I'll let you in on a well known secret that somehow flew over your head. Your past. The truth about your powers. It doesn't matter, Ryu."

"Who cares if you're missing a muscle in your chest? That you had, had to eat souls in order to survive? My siblings and I literally do the same damn thing and no one at the guild bats an eye."

Leaning forward Mira took his face in both hands, her gaze losing the sharpness from before. "None of us care about who you were, Ryu. We let you into the guild, our family, not because you were strong. But because you were just like the rest of us. Someone that was lost and didn't have anywhere else to turn to."

"So stop worrying." Now it was her turn to wipe the tears from Ryu's eyes as she leaned in and rested her forehead against his. "It's not just you anymore. Let us take some of the weight and help carry you forward."

His hand reached up to rest on the back of her head and Mira felt him shake with silent tears.

"Thank you." She heard him whisper. "for not pushing me away."

Mirajane gave him a deep, passion filled kiss that lasted several seconds before separating and smiled. "I love you, Ryu. And you'll have to try a hell of a lot harder if you want that to change."

Ryu smiled as well. "Wouldn't even dream of it."

Things were gonna be different, and not just for themselves. Phantom Lord was finished. There was now a powergap in the Saint's. And Fairy Tail was at the center of it all.

The two lovers knew this. But neither could bring themselves to care. All that mattered was that they and those they loved were safe. The consequences for their actions can come crashing down all that they liked. But Ryu, Mira, and Fairy Tail will weather the storm. And they'll do it together.

-End-

Zrocker119: Fun fact, without these AN, this chapter is exactly 7k words.