Zrocker119: You know what, no matter how long I've been writing on this site, I'm always pleasantly surprised by how much support I continue to get for many of my stories. So thank you all. It truly means a lot to me. Now onto the story.
A Hollow's Fairy Tail
-Start-
.
.
.
The days that followed his meeting with the Council were a blur for Ryu. Upon returning to the construction site of the new guild hall and everyone learning about his elevation to Wizard Saint, the gathered members did the only logical thing possible. That being to throw a huge party to celebrate.
After the partying finally ended everything just kind of muddled together. He didn't go out on any new jobs and chose to dedicate most of his time to mastering his newfound level of power. The only time he stopped training was to help with the reconstruction of the guildhall and to eat and sleep.
Mirajane joined in for many of his training sessions, even though she wasn't nearly as dedicated to the act as himself and mostly did so to spend some time with him. As much as she loved him, she did find his training methods to be a bit...intense to say the least.
Now, Mira was no stranger to hard work, but even she was struggling to keep up with the breakneck pace he was going at and had forced him to slow things down on more than one occasion. It was after one of their more exhausting sessions that an unexpected visitor stopped by the couples' home.
.
.
.
The couple had been in the middle of throwing together a hearty lunch when the doorbell went off. The two shared a look before Ryu shrugged his shoulders. Setting aside the vegetables he had been chopping, he cleaned off his hands before going to see who it was.
Upon opening the door, the Arrancar was pleasantly surprised to find Lucy standing there.
"Hey." She waved somewhat shyly.
He gave her a hod. "Hello yourself."
"Do you mind if I come in?" She asked quietly. "There's something that I need your help with."
Ryu blinked. While he considered everyone in Fairy Tail to be his family, this was the first time any of them came to him for help for...well anything. Not even for an extra hand on a quest. It was quite a surprise, but a pleasant one. So with a small smile, he opened the door further and beckoned her inside.
"Mira and I were just getting ready to have some lunch. Come on in and I'll make you a plate." Smiling herself, Lucy accepted the offer and stepped indoors.
The two head for the dining room where Mira had just finished setting the table.
"Lucy!" Before the Celestial Mage could process what was going on, Mirajane had already engulfed her in a hug. "I'm so glad to see you," pulling back, Mira gave the younger woman a smile, one that was usually reserved for her siblings. "We haven't really spoken since the battle ended. How are you feeling?"
"Given everything that's happened in the last couple weeks, I've been better." Lucy said honestly, earning a nod of agreement from the two. Things have been getting out of hand as of late. "Between the battle with Phantom Lord, disowning my father and the whole thing with Loke, I'm just ready for a break from it all."
Mira nodded in understanding while Ryu looked on at the two, the confusion clear on his face. "Wait? What's this about Loke? Did something happen."
Lucy and Mira both turned, looking at him like he had suddenly sprouted a second head. "D-did you not hear about it?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did." was his dry response.
Mira pinched the bridge of her nose in disappointment. "Have you been talking to anybody when you go to help out at the guild hall?"
Ryu made the 'so-so' motion. "I talk with Erza, but it's mostly been about the progress we're making with the construction efforts." Mira gave him a flat look. "So, what happened with Loke?"
"It turns out that he's actually the Celestial Spirit Leo." Lucy explained, earning her a surprised look. "His previous holder was abusive to one of his friends, so he refused to follow her commands. His inactiveness ended up causing her death so he was exiled from the Celestial Spirit World."
"Damn." Ryu rubbed the back of his neck. "So what happened?"
Lucy sighed and took a seat, resting her head on the table. "If a Celestial Spirit remains in our world for too long, they'll eventually die due to not being able to regain their magic energy. He was nearing the end and started cutting off all the ties that he had made, even quitting the guild. Thankfully I was able to find him in time and convince the Celestial Spirit King to reverse his judgment and allow Loke to return home."
Ryu stood in silence, taking his time to process what he had been told. To think that one of the guild more prominent members, according to the popularity poles in the magazines anyway, was a spirit the whole time and none of them hsf the slightest clue. He never really spent time with the man, but being a spirit himself Ryu figured he would've noticed something off.
Just goes to show him how differently this world functions from his old one.
"Well I'm glad things worked out in the end. Now," he clapped his hands and gestured towards the food. "How about we all take a seat, enjoy some lunch and just chat. Then you can tell me what it is that you need help with."
The sound of Lucy's stomach rumbling was all the answer he and Mira needed. With a light blush dusting her cheeks, Lucy made herself a plate.
The three took their time enjoying the food and each other's company. When they weren't eating, they chatted about anything that came to mind, though it was mostly about catching Ryu up to speed about the things he had missed. Though thankfully for the arrancar, other than what happened with Loke, nothing really groundbreaking had happened.
About an hour later, after the kitchen was cleaned and the dishes sorted, the three sat on the back patio where they could enjoy the afternoon sun.
Taking a drink of his tea, Ryu turned his attention to Lucy. "So, what is it you needed?"
The blonde sat her own drink aside before taking a breath. "I need you to train me."
Ryu blinked in surprise. Looking to Mira he saw that she was in a similar state to himself. He figured that she wanted his help with a job or something of a similar sort. "While I'm not opposed to the idea, can I ask why?"
Lucy looked down at her lap. "When Phantom Lord came to capture me, I wasn't even able to put up a fight. Even after you rescued me and they attacked the guildhall, everyone kept me from the frontlines because I couldn't properly defend myself without my keys."
"My friends, the people I love, were risking their very lives for me and I couldn't do anything! Throughout my entire life, I had never felt more useless than I had then. I-I never want to feel that way again." She looked up from her lap, and Ryu could see the raw emotion being held back.
Those words had been spoken with her very heart and soul.
She wanted to become stronger and was willing to work towards it.
"We've all felt that way at some point in our lives." Ryu thought back to his first encounter with Aizen and his Espada. How utterly powerless he had been against them. The humiliation of having to kneel before someone else. "But gaining strength isn't something that just comes to you, Lucy. It's something you have to dedicate your time, your very life to."
"It isn't an easy path to tread. Which makes me question why you came to me. Surely Natsu would've jumped at the idea of having a new sparring partner?"
Lucy nodded. "I thought about going to him and Lisanna, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it wouldn't be ideal. No offense to them, but Lisanna's too kind to take me seriously enough to mean anything. Natsu, while meaning well, would most likely go overboard."
Mira let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like something the two of them would do." Lisanna had gotten much stronger over the course of two years, but unless they were fighting her, Elfman and Lisanna had the tendency to pull their punches so as to not accidentally injure somebody.
"Besides that," spoke Lucy, "the two of them took a vacation to the Akane Beach resort along with Cana, Erza and Gray."
Ryu blinked at that information. "I think I know the place you're talking about. How the hell did they afford that?" If he was remembering correctly, Akane Beach was one of if not the most sought out vacation spots in the country. One had to reserve rooms months in advance and it wasn't cheap.
The blonde rubbed the back of her head. "Well, as thanks for saving his life, Loke gave me some tickets. I wanted to go with them, but decided that coming here was more important."
Again Lucy continued to surprise Ryu. She had given up a week of luxury and relaxation with her friends and instead chose to see him when she didn't even know if he would agree to her request.
How could he turn away such resolve?
"Alright then." Getting up from his seat Ryu continued, "I want you to head back to your place and pack a month's worth of clothes. Once we get you set up in one of the guest rooms, we'll get started."
Lucy blinked in surprise. "You want me to stay here?"
"As of this moment you're my apprentice and that makes you my responsibility. The basic necessities will be covered by me," he smirked. "Besides, the less time you have to spend walking here every day translates directly to more training."
.
.
.
Returning to her home, Lucy did as she was instructed and packed the necessary amount of clothes. The only reason she was gone for more than an hour was due to just how far outside of the town Ryu's home was.
She still couldn't believe that she was going to be sharing a roof with them. She could barely contain her excitement!
Mirajane had been her role model for years now. Sure Lucy had trouble talking with her for the first few weeks after joining due to just how intimidating the idol was, but once she worked up the courage Lucy found her to be quite compassionate and caring.
Then there was Ryu. He had been nothing but a gentleman towards her, which was something that couldn't be said for most of the guild, and was always willing to lend an ear. Even with the reveal of his true and violent origins, Lucy could safely say that she viewed the redhead as one of her closest friends.
When she had been at her most vulnerable, the two of them were amongst the first to be at her side. It was what Lucy thought having older siblings would be like. Now they were going to help her get stronger.
The idea of receiving training from two of the power houses of Fairy Tail was more than a bit intimidating for the Celestial Spirit mage. While she didn't want them to go easy on her, she also hoped that they wouldn't go too far.
Trudging up the path, Lucy eventually returned to the place that would be her home for the next month, finding Ryu waiting at the door for her. With a small smile he gestured for her to follow.
Doing so the two moved toward the upper floor and entered the third room on the left. The room itself was nearly as large as her own living area, with plenty of dressers and a queen size for her to use.
"All the dressers are empty so feel free to use them. Once you're finished, meet us out back." With his piece said Ryu exited the room, leaving Lucy to unpack everything that she had brought.
Having only brought one suitcase it didn't take Lucy long to get everything sorted and was out behind the house in minutes. She spotted Mirajane and Ryu seated out in the grass near the middle of the field and ran to join them. Upon getting closer she noticed that the further out she went, the more craters she spotted throughout the open field.
Clearly this was the two's preferred training ground.
"Go ahead and sit," Ryu instructed the moment she reached them. Once she was seated comfortably he continued. "Now before we start, what can you tell me about your magic? I've never actually witnessed it before and would like an idea of what I'll be working with."
Lucy blinked. Now that she thought about it there had never been a moment where she had needed the use of her magic around the two. Rubbing the back of her head, Lucy let out a quiet chuckle. "Hehe, yeah. I guess that would be a good place to start. Well, the easiest explanation is that I'm a Celestial Spirit Wizard."
She took the keychain from her hip and showed it to them. "So long as I have the key to the corresponding gate, my magic allows me to summon Celestial Spirits, magical beings from the Celestial Spirit World to do a variety of tasks."
Ryu was intrigued by what she had described. "And you can summon them at will?"
"Well, I form a contract with the spirit and unless it's life threatening I can only summon them the days that are agreed upon."
"And what about the different colors?" He asked, pointing out that all of her keys were either one of two colors. Those being gold or silver.
"They represent the overall rarity. While there are a large amount of silver keys, there are only 12 gold keys in existence." Lucy explained, grabbing a golden key with the image of a strung bow on in. "I actually haven't had a chance to form a contract with Sagittarius. I could demonstrate if you'd like?"
Watching the formation of the contract was much less interesting than Ryu had original thought. In fact he would go so far as to say it was just as plain as signing a piece of paper, with the only difference being that the one Lucy was forming a contract with was a celestial entity that liked to cosplay as a horse.
No he was not making that last part up. The Celestial spirit was literally an archer that wore a horse costume.
Once the contract had been completed and Sagittarius had bid them all a good day, the three were left alone once again.
"That...wasn't what I was expecting," Ryu said, failing to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
"Sorry but every contract works like that," Lucy said with a small shrug.
"So other than summoning spirits, is there anything else you can do to defend yourself?" Ryu's eyes fell to her keys. "Because from what I can tell, if someone separates you from those, you're pretty much a sitting duck."
Though his delivery was brutal, Lucy couldn't deny that his words held truth to them. How many times had she been incapable of defending herself due to being separated from her keys? Her previous capture was just the most recent example of this weakness being used against her.
But that was why she came here. To be trained by the strongest people that she knew.
"I know." The two looked surprised by her self admittance. "There's no point in denying it when it's true. I love the magic that I was born with. It's allowed me to become friends with some of the greatest people I know, but I hate how reliant I am on others."
"Other than being able to throw a decent kick and use my whip, I'm powerless to defend myself. I'm just tired. Tired of being a damsel in distress that always needs to be saved. I want to be able to stand next to everyone, instead of having to be protected by them."
Rubbing his chin, Ryu took a moment to think about it all. This would be much different from his time training Kagura. While she did indeed have magic, most of their time together was spent training her in swordsmanship. Something he didn't believe Lucy would be interested in learning.
Looking at Lucy, he eyed the whip on her waist. The makings of an idea began to form.
"While I may not be able to help when it comes to your magic, I can get you started on the path to physical improvement. Mira, can you run Lucy through some warm ups? I need to go fetch something."
The white-haired beauty rose a delicate brow at the request, but eventually shrugged. "Sure thing. Come on, Lucy. Trust me when I say you're gonna want to change into something with a bit more breathing room."
Lucy didn't even get a chance to respond as Mira grabbed her by the back of her shirt and began dragging her towards the house. Ryu merely chuckled at the sight before disappearing with a burst of Sonido.
.
.
.
"I-is this really necessary?"
"Of course it is," Mira said as she began to loosen up her muscles with some light stretches. "Trust me. I've pulled a muscle before and I'll tell you right now that it isn't fun. So unless you have rapid regeneration like Ryu, start stretching."
"I'm not arguing against that," Lucy glanced down at herself, "but did it have to be in these clothes?"
Now, let it be said that Lucy wasn't afraid of showing a little skin. She was very much aware of how beautiful she was and wore all of her clothes with pride. But the purple sports bra, black, sleeveless crop top and matching shorts and sneakers combo she was currently rocking certainly had the Celestial mage blushing up a storm.
What most certainly didn't help the fact was that Mirajane was wearing a matching outfit. It made sense as Lucy's current outfit was borrowed as she hadn't thought to grab a set workout clothes from home. How such an oversight happened she had no idea and while she and Mira had about the same body type, the clothes were a little snug in the chest region.
"Oh relax," Mira waved off her concern, "besides you look great! Might have to bring you along on the next fashion shoot. It certainly pays well enough to show off a little bit."
Oh, Lucy was more than aware of the kinds of outfits the model wore for the magazine shoots. Safe to say Lucy hadn't known she was bi until she had opened one of sorcerer weekly's more...risque issues.
Shaking her head as to free herself of such thoughts, Lucy followed Mirajanes example and began mimicking her movementold. While the whitette was much more flexible than herself, she did an admirable job.
Once the stretching was out of the way, Mira instructed Lucy to do her best to keep up as she began a steady jog around the entire property. This was Lucy's first hurdle as while she had more stamina than many people would assume, it wasn't her specialty.
Yes, she could've used her magic energy to ease the process, Mirajane had given her specific instructions to not do that as while it would take the edge off for at least a little bit, she would regret it later as her muscles would still be over stressed.
And since healing magic was a long lost magic, Lucy would have to heal torn muscles and ligaments the old fashion way. So, wanting to avoid serious injury, she listened to Mira's advice and did the exercise to the best of her ability.
Nearly two hours passed before Lucy's legs gave out and finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Her chest heaved as she greedily took in deep breaths. A shadow fell over her and Lucy was treated to the sight of Mira hovering above her. And in her hand was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
A tray with a tall pitcher of ice cold water at the center.
"For someone that doesn't work out whatsoever, you hustled pretty good out there." Complimented Mira as she handed her a glass filled with the liquid of life.
Mirajane giggled as the blonde shot up and polished off the glass in one go. Her giggles nearly became a fit of uncontrollable laughter when Lucy began to drink straight from the pitcher.
With her thirst temporarily slaked, Lucy looked at her idol with an incredulous gaze. "The two of you do this daily?"
"We usually go much, much harder and longer. This was me going easy so we can ease you in."
The casual admittance nearly made Lucy shed to tears of dread.
"Having fun yet?"
Glancing past Mira, Lucy's face immediately turned redder than a tomato.
Ryu had returned from his errands and much like the two of them, he too had changed into a more functional set of workout clothes. He wore a pair of black workout shorts and a sleeveless shirt that clung to his upper body quite nicely.
Not only did it highlight his lean, yet muscular build but if she looked close enough, Lucy could almost make out the outline of the hole where his heart should be. She also took note of the bag clenched in his left hand and what appeared to be a long, narrow case tucked under his arm.
"Sure are," Mira sent him a wink. "She lasted much longer than I thought she would."
"That's good." Taking Lucy by the hand he hauled her to her feet. "Every morning we'll start out with a jog around the property, steadily increasing the pace until you can sprint the whole thing."
Though the thought of doing the same run every day for the next month sounded intimidating, Lucy gave a sharp nod. Then she took note of his wording. "What about the rest of the day?"
"Oh, that's easy. I'm going to teach you how to throw a proper punch and kick." Instructing her to hold her arms out in front of her, Ryu dug through one of the bags. Producing a roll of medical tap, he wrapped it around her knuckles and wrists. She underwent the same process when it came to her ankles.
Reaching into the same back, Ryu tossed her a pair of padded gloves. "I take it, you know how to put those on?"
Giving him a dry look, Lucy donned the gloves with no issue. "I'm not completely helpless."
Her two trainers laughed at her attitude. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Ryu smiled. "Just teasing you. Now, we're gonna work through a few different stances and techniques. Once you've got a good enough grasp, Mira's going to tag in and spar with you. Sounds good?"
Lucy nodded, but looked to the case he had brought out. Following her gaze, the Arrancar smirked. "Don't worry about what's inside that. That'll come later. For now just focus on the now. Alright?"
Though she was curious as to the case's contents Lucy figured that if it was vital to her training then Ryu wouldn't wait to unveil it. Giving another crisp nod, Lucy did her best to mick Ryu's stance. She was ready for whatever he threw at her.
.
.
.
If there was one thing Gin didn't mind about his promotion to Council Member, it was the paperwork. Many felt an encroaching sense of dread at the pile of documents, but for the former captain of squad three it was a time of relaxation. Because unlike many of the other councillors, Gin had refused the new office that came with his elevated position and remained at Rune Knight HQ alongside his men.
Men who had long since learned that he was not to be disterbed while signing and verifying important documents. As he sighed and sorted the ever shrinking pile, Gin's mind wandered towards those he had betrayed, specifically to Izuru and Rangiku.
He quietly wondered how they were doing. It had been over two years since his arrival in this world. Had they moved on from his apparent death? Did they ever mourn him?
Gin let out a long breath and shook his head. It did him no good lingering of such thoughts. Clearing his mind, he was about to finish off the rest of the pile when someone knocked the door.
A moment later it opened to reveal Mo standing in the doorway.
His second in command cleared his throat. "Apologies Commander, but something of importance has come up."
Raising a brow, Grin nodded. Setting the paperwork aside he beckoned the man to come in. Only once he stood before his desk did Mo continue.
"...I'll be honest with you, Commander. While the matter is indeed important, it's...of the personal sorts," Mo explained.
Gin couldn't stop the surprise from showing on his face. While they had been partners since day one of the Axe being formed, Mo had always been more reserved than the others. So for him to come forward about a personal matter was highly unusual.
"Well, it must be special if you're coming directly to me about it." Gin said in a joking manner.
Mo didn't smile. His expression remained completely unreadable for several moments before the man let out a tired sigh. "I've received word from our informant. There's been activity at the tower."
Gin's playful smirk was wiped away by those words. "So, Jellal is making his move."
"It has to be me, Sir." Mo raised a hand, stopping Gin from speaking. "Just me. This is something that I have to do, Sir."
Gin sat in silence, elbows resting on his desk and fingers interweaved. After what felt like hours, he nodded. "Very well. Grab what you need from the R&D department and take every precaution."
Mo nodded and opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. A second later he sighed. "We...also received word that some members from Fairy Tail are located at the nearby resort."
Gin's head hit the desk with a loud Thud. Of course they were. Why wouldn't they be. Regaining his composure, Gin looked Mo in the eye. "Knowing them, they'll get dragged into whatever Jellal is plotting. While his capture is key, do not do so at their expense. Am I clear?"
"Understood, Sir." Mo snapped a salute and turned to leave.
"And Mo," Gin's voice was calm and even. "You will return. That's an order."
Alone once more, Gin turned towards the paperwork. For a moment he considered the thought of picking up where he had left off. In the end he simply sighed. Reaching into one of his desks drawers, he retrieved a bottle of sake and a saucer.
Popping the cork, he poured himself a generous amount and took a drink.
Why couldn't it have just been a normal day?
.
.
.
-End-