Guess who's back, back again! That's right everyone, after a...admittedly MUCH longer than planned hiatus on our part, "The Death and Life of Erza Scarlet" has indeed returned. As per usual, I can't promise a consistent update schedule, but it's better than nothing. Now, much as I'd like to keep on chatting with you all in this AN till the heat death of the universe...you have better things to do. So lets get right into the thick of things, shall we!?
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!
The classroom was abuzz, students whispering eagerly amongst themselves. Botan's stomach was flittering, uneasy in the same way it had been in his first year when he'd had a crush on a girl. This time was different, though. It did involve a woman, technically, but…
"You think it's true?" Aoki, his friend seated next to him said, grinning ear to ear.
"I dunno," Botan muttered, trying to contain the hopefulness in his voice. "Shimura-sensei didn't mention it so who knows, but… I heard she gave a talk to some students last year, so who knows?"
"Dude, can you imagine?" Aoki said excitably. "Captain Scarlet here, in our classroom, giving us a look into how to be a shinigami? Like, I can't even tell you how cool that would be!"
"I mean, I bet she has bigger fish to fry than us," Botan said, trying not to get his hopes up too much. "She's a freaking legend, man. She's probably out there crushing hollows and taking names, or leading her men on some grand hunt or something."
"More like she's busy micromanaging her division," their classmate Reina scoffed from behind. "I swear, you boys think swords and fighting is all there is to being a shinigami."
"I wonder if she's as beautiful as they say," Aoki said, staring into the distance with a longing expression.
"Don't get any ideas, she's taken," Botan shot back.
"Hey, a guy can appreciate good looks, can't he?" Aoki said defensively. "Besides-"
At that moment Shimura-sensei entered the room, and the class quickly fell silent. He wasn't a hardass as such, but the man didn't tolerate lax discipline. As one the class took their stances, and instruction began. Kendo class carried on as normal without a sign of anything out of the ordinary, and half an hour in, Botan had given up hope. He'd come into the academy two years ago, in the wake of the great victory against the tyrant Aizen Sosuke, and he'd been told of the captain's great deeds and adventures in detail. Her reputation eclipsed everyone else's, even the captain-commander's. Girls and boys alike had her poster on the walls, and the more ambitious dreamed of becoming an officer in her division.
Erza Scarlet, slayer of tyrants, patron of the poor, keeper of order, hero of the Gotei Thirteen. She loomed large over the academy. All captains did, of course, but her more than anyone else. To see her in person would be…
He shook the thought off. It was not going to happen. He had a few years ahead of him still, and maybe then he'd be lucky enough to catch a glance…
"Students, halt!"
At their sensei's command, the class stopped their battles and stood to attention, bowing their heads.
"We have a special guest here with us today," Shimura said sharply. "You will be attentive and respectful of her time, as she has made an effort to be here today, just for your sakes. Understood?"
"Yes, sensei!" the class barked in unison. Shimura nodded approvingly.
"I wasn't sure she'd make it, so I didn't say anything, but… here with us today, I am glad to present: Captain Erza Scarlet!"
He gestured toward the door, which slid open. Every eye in the room was fixed on the doorway and in she stepped, tall, buxom and with hair as red as the stories told, the slayer of tyrants. The room was dead silent, nobody daring to make a peep. A feeling of reverent awe passed through Botan as she walked toward the centre, taking their sensei's place. She was beautiful, like an exquisite piece of art come to life. She smiled at them, and in that moment Botan felt like he could have gone to war. She didn't wear her legendary armor, which was a shame, but she still looked every bit the dignified captain in her white coat.
"Good day to you all," she said, her tone casual and friendly. "If I could visit more often, I would. You young people are our future, and you're needed more than ever. I would have come sooner, but well, you know how it is- well, I suppose you wouldn't know, but being an officer makes you busy, and being a captain makes you very busy."
Botan wanted to cry out that no, they all understood, it was fine, but dared not to say anything. It felt unbelievable. A living, walking legend, like a hero of old come to life, standing here right in front of them, in the flesh. Erza Scarlet!
"Now, you wouldn't have guessed it," she continued, "but it was your old teacher who recruited me once upon a time. I wouldn't be here without him."
"You give me too much credit," Shimura said modestly, "anyone could have done that."
Even so, the whole class gave him a respectful look.
"Now, since this is kendo, I figured I'd show you a move or two. Sensei?"
"Today, we're going through a bit of footwork, Captain," Shimura said. "but I think the class would find something more… advanced more useful."
"Fair enough," Erza said. She took her coat off, hanging it by the door, and took a training sword from a rack. "Why don't we try getting out of a dicey situation? Sensei, put your blade near my throat. You've gotten inside my guard, and you're an instance away from cutting into my neck. What do I do?"
Shimura obliged, taking a stance with his training sword pointed right at her neck.
"I've got you here, yeah," he nodded. "I'm coming in fast, because I know how to press my advantage, and then…"
Botan didn't quite follow what happened next, but suddenly Shimura was on the floor, his sword sailing through the air. The whole class stared in awe, transfixed. Erza reached out, giving his sensei a hand.
"Right," she explained, "let's try that again, in slow motion. So, the first thing I do, the moment he comes inside my guard, is to try and bat his sword aside, while creating some distance, so I'll take a step back like this…"
The rest continued like a dream. Once it was finished he was still in awe, although a lot of the specifics felt like a blur. But when he reluctantly spilled out of the classroom with his classmates, he could say he'd seen her in the flesh, the Captain Scarlet…
Erza watched them go, a smile on her face.
"I feel like most of that was lost of them," Momo said, leaned against the doorway. "Although you definitely have them starstruck."
"Momo!" Erza said happily.
She hurried over to her lover and bent down to kiss her, but Momo gently put a hand in between their faces.
"Still on duty, remember?" she smiled.
"Oh. Yeah, of course," Erza said awkwardly, rolling her eyes. "I know that-"
Before she could finish, Momo had leaned up and planted a kiss on her lips, soft and chaste.
"You know, you really have laxed on the whole professionalism thing," Erza muttered, a little embarrassed.
"Made you blush though," Momo laughed.
"You did not," Erza lied. "Anyway, are we- are we good?"
Momo nodded. "A few things to finish up at the division, then we're done."
"Mm. Can't wait to head home," Erza said longingly.
"Well, that can wait. We're having dinner with Yoruichi and Soifon, remember?"
"Oh- oh, right," Erza sighed. "That was today, wasn't it?"
"You totally didn't forget, huh?"
"Obviously," Erza shot back. "Well, that's not so bad. You know, it's really interesting to see how much she's opened up. A meaningful relationship has been really useful for Soifon."
"That and getting laid regularly," Momo chuckled, blushing slightly at her own joke.
"Momo," Erza gasped, with faux shock.
"What? Where's the lie?" Momo said innocently.
"You can't just walk around telling the truth all the time," Erza scoffed with mock outrage. "What'll that do to public order and common decency?"
"What can I say? I'm a menace," Momo chuckled.
She took Erza by the hand, and together they walked out.
It had been a busy couple of years, but things had gone from strained-to-the-limits to manageable. New recruits were coming in, and conservative mission tactics had kept new casualties fairly low. They were a long ways off from reaching pre-war numbers, but they were slowly recovering, slowly rebuilding.
"Master yourself. Find your calm. Focus."
It had taken some time for Ichigo to get used to being told what to do, of having high expectations and standards set for him, of being pushed far without praise, but once he had learned to swallow his pride a little, he had started to make progress. Basic kido had been a bitch and a half to master, but under Byakuya's tutelage, he had. While the stoic nobleman was nowhere near as encouraging a teacher as his aunt, it was undeniable that his skill in this area was near peerless. Ichigo knew the saying 'jack of all trades, master of none', and after two years of consistent practice in swordsmanship, hand-to-hand and kido, it astonished him how Kuchiki Byakuya effortlessly defied the old adage.
Ichigo had his eyes closed, slowly weaving an orb of fire. There was no incantation, only will and the focus his motions brought. It was an advanced exercise, meant to test the limits of his control. The demon arts could do tremendous things, things he had only begun to learn. To think he had thought of it only as a way to tie things down, or blow things up… even if that was mostly what Gotei combat doctrines used them for.
He moved his arms in wide circles, seeing the orb of kido fire growing in his mind's eye. He could feel it, like he could feel a vibration in the earth, a tremor. A million little tremors at once, creating an image clear as day: an orb of fire as large as his head, with three circles orbiting it. He felt its pale warmth, and knew that if his control lapsed even for a moment, they would lash out violently- as they had a thousand times before, when he still struggle with basic mastery.
"It is finished," he said calmly, letting his hands come to rest on the sides of the orb, holding the energies in place. He opened his eyes, and to his delight, the orb of fire was perfect. No- imperfect. Fraying at the edges. Sighing, Ichigo frowned. He knew better than to complain openly; his teacher would disapprove.
"It will suffice," Byakuya said.
That was another aspect Ichigo had come to appreciate. Byakuya had understood his student's frustration, and given praise- or as close to it as he came. Ichigo had not complained, and Byakuya had given him reassurance, all with a bare minimum of words spoken. The Kuchiki was stoic, but when you paid attention, he said much more than just words.
With a flick of his hands, Byakuya snuffed the flames out, safely dispersing the energy. He turned around, as if to leave, then quickly spun around with a hand out.
"Sajo Sabaku!" he said sharply, golden chains surging from his fingers.
Ichigo was ready, though.
"Bakudo eighty-one: Danku!" he cried, a square shield forming. The chains bounced, harmlessly wrapping around the shield. It soon cracked, though, and within a second it shattered, the chains vanishing along with it.
"It broke within two seconds," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "My apologies, sensei."
"You were not caught."
"I can do better. I know I can."
Byakuya nodded.
"Correct. But you fulfilled your purpose regardless. Perfection is desirable, Kurosaki, but it is an ideal. If you expect perfection out of reality, you will only be disappointed. Perfection is the enemy of good."
"Yes, sensei."
Perhaps Ichigo sounded less than convinced, because Byakuya continued.
"Kurosaki, I hope you realize that you are executing extremely high level binding spells, albeit imperfect ones, without an incantation, after only two years of practice. This is no small feat."
"I owe it to you, sensei."
"Perhaps. Even so, you cannot compare yourself to me. You must compare yourself to your peers- who you are most assuredly well ahead of."
Ichigo bowed.
"You are too kind, sensei."
"Let us finish here," Byakuya said, nodding in acknowledgment. "Take some time to rest in my manor. I will have the servants bring us refreshments."
It was still somewhat bizarre to have tea with Kuchiki Byakuya in his personal gardens. Ichigo wondered if this was what passed for friendship in a world of nobles. He hoped as much. There was still a wall of formality between them, but he felt like the nobleman appreciated his presence. Why else would he keep inviting him to stay?
"How proceeds your life among the living?" Byakuya inquired, as they sat down and tea was brought to them.
"I graduate school soon," Ichigo shrugged. "I will go on to study at university. I hope to become an instructor, like you. Although for a different subject."
"What kind?"
"I will teach them the English language. It is commonly used in the world of the living, and I was always interested by the writings of Shakespeare. He was an influential…"
"A playwright from faraway England, and a poet," Byakuya nodded.
"You know him?" Ichigo said, surprised.
"I have many volumes from faraway lands. I suspect much of his skill is lost in translation, but I find his poetry satisfactory. You have chosen well."
"Well then," Ichigo said, taken aback. "I mean yeah, sure. That's… you surprise me yet, sensei."
Byakuya was not the smiling type, but Ichigo could swear he sensed a smug energy as the noble retorted.
"It is wise to look to one's future. Yet I wonder, what do you look to after?"
Ichigo blinked.
"After, sensei?"
Byakuya gave him a look, eyes narrowing slightly.
"I often forget that you are so very young, and has a human's perspective still," he elaborated. "But in a handful of decades, a short span for a shinigami, your physical body will have aged and deteriorated, and will expire. When it does, where will your soul go?"
"I… hadn't thought that far," Ichigo admitted. "I am barely out of school yet, sensei."
"One day you will have to face that reality. When you do, you will most assuredly have a future here. One day, you will certainly be a captain."
There was an unexpected finality to his words.
"That is… I suppose that makes sense," Ichigo said hesitantly.
"You have reservations."
"Maybe. I dunno. This… it makes sense when you say it, but I really hadn't thought of it."
"One day, I will perish. When I do, the clan will be in good hands. Rukia is becoming a worthy heir. But she will need strong allies, and good friends."
"You don't expect me to play politics, do you?"
"No captain can avoid it," Byakuya said dryly. "But even the existence of a strong ally has weight on its own. Consider it, if you will. Where else would you go?"
"I… will," Ichigo said, again hesitant.
Where else would he go, indeed?
Setsubo lunged forward, aggressively lashing out with her blade in a wide series of slashes. Her opponent, a rugged old man with scars on his face, defended patiently, meeting each strike carefully without retrating.
"In a second, he'll counter with a pommel strike to her gut and leave her open. She's out," Fourth seat Kokutou said, leaned against a post.
"She's a promising candidate, though," third seat Senna countered, "and she was a soldier during the war, even if she was stuck on guard duty because she was a bit green."
Senna was a young woman by shinigami standards, promoted in the wake of the war. She had darkish purple hair, kept up with a red sash.
"Ten kan says she's out when he finds an opening," Kokutou said confidently. The fourth seat was a contrast to his more orderly superior, with messy, uneven white hair and a black bandana barely keeping it all inside. He was from the seventy-ninth district, and had made his way up the hard way.
"You know what? I will take that bet," Senna said firmly. "The guard is not meant to be an exclusive club nobody can get into. I hope she makes it."
The Crimson Guard had become something tangible in the years following Aizen's defeat, becoming Fifth's unofficial- and later official- elite company. To get in, you had to meet the approval of at least five high ranking members, and defeat a veteran in full armor, using sharp blades. Setsubo had paid her dues, worked hard and gained approval, but she represented a crossroads of sorts. Until recently, the company had been an exclusive group, veterans only, and many wanted it kept that way. But if this was to be a military unit, it could not remain without reinforcements, not in the long run. They had taken a casualty a few months earlier, a stark reminder that although the war was over, they were still soldiers.
"You're on."
Setsubo kept pushing fiercely, relentlessly hammering her older opponent. Not a viable long term strategy, Senna noted; his defense was solid and she would tire herself out this way. Koi was a nasty old soldier, and his movements were careful. You're in for it if you can't handle what comes next, Senna thought, wondering if she had just wasted ten kan.
And there it was- just as Setsubo pushed in with a heavy overhead strike, Koi surged forward, moving his entire shoulder forward along with the pommel strike to catch her in the gut, knock the air out of her lungs and stun her. Senna's heart skipped a beat, but she needn't have worried. A confident smile on her face, Setsubo pivoted to the side and took a step forward. Carried by his own momentum, Koi could not avoid it, nearly stepping neck first into her blade. Standing perfectly still with her blade's length just under his chin, Setsubo shot him a smile and a wink.
"Ya yield, or what?"
Koi made a face.
"Fucking hell, I walked into that one. Literally." He shook his head in disbelief. "You saw me coming."
"I asked around when they told me I was meant to fight you. Heard you like to play dirty, get up close and personal. So, I decided to give you the chance to do that."
"You know, real life don't let you do your research first," he grumbled.
"Yield or not?" Setsubo said, scraping the edge of her blade against his unshaven neck.
He grit his teeth. "Fine. Yield, I guess. Damn it…"
"I did it!" Setsubo cried out joyously, jumping up and down on the spot.
"Pay up," Senna said, holding her hand out. Grumbling no less than Koi, Kokutou counted up ten kan, and handed it over. Smugly pocketing the cash, Senna walked up to Setsubo.
"Ninth seat Setsubo, welcome to the Crimson Guard," she said, all smiles. "Stay dedicated. We're a serious group, not a social club-"
"Except when we go out drinking," Kokutou cut in.
"-except when we go out drinking," Senna conceded, "but the point is, this is a place for the best of the best. You got what it takes to be Captain Scarlet's finest?"
"Damn right I do," Setsubo said, saluting sharply.
"Attagirl," Senna nodded approvingly. "Welcome to the guard, then."
The pale palace of Las Noches was still forbidding, but had grown less so as of late. Tier Halibel, the new primera, ruled like a queen here, and had had to crush more than a few ambitious usurpers the last two years, but once her strength had proven unassailable, hollow and arrancar alike had fallen in line. And in turn, the stoic primera ruled less callously and less cruelly than her predecessors, keeping the peace in this restless land of the lost and the dead. At her side was always the segunda, Neliel Tu Oderschvank, loyal and strong.
Light had been brought into the chamber, innovations from the soul society. No longer was the eternal moon the only thing illuminating them, and it made the place seem less dead, less lost. At this time Halibel sat on her throne, attended by her fracciones. One of the many changes had been the establishment of a real court, of records kept, positions given out. Halibel did not aim to make herself the queen of an empty castle, or the strongest monster on a pile of bodies, but a real ruler, one with rules and regulations to be followed. That, of course, meant building up strong subordinates. After the war there had been a good number of espada numbers unfilled- spots she was not willing to give out to anyone she did not approve of. It was with special consideration, then, that she looked toward the newcomers approaching her throne. The first new arrancar since the failed war, formed naturally in the great wastes. There were three of them, all of them in rags, one of them even dirty and naked. The group had marched up before the throne and kneeled, faces averted.
"Fresh meat," Grimmjow snorted. "You gonna induct these losers, you high-and-mightyness?"
"Show some respect, tercera," Neliel said firmly.
"What?" Grimmjow shrugged. "I added a whole highness thingy and everything."
"Yeah Grimmjow, respect," Lilynette said smugly. The young arrancar had taken to following the tercera after the battle of Karakura, and seemed to have worn him down at this point.
"Oh, you're all about respect, you," Grimmjow said, rolling his eyes. "Can't walk two steps without showing proper deference to your betters, that's you alright."
"Eat shit," Lilynette said playfully, sticking out her tongue. "You're just mad 'cos you got told and I didn't."
"I'll eat you, limb for limb," Grimmjow growled. The threat was ignored, and Halibel got the feeling she was used to it.
"You don't have the guts these days," Lilynette said smugly.
"Yeah well, maybe someone don't want my training," Grimmjow shot back. "Then it was all 'oh mr Grimmjow sir, I'll do anything to get stronger', but if you can't even be respectful…"
"I'm so sorry, sir," Lilynette said, with all the sincerity of a scoundrel.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Grimmjow said, apparently satisfied.
He radiated power these days. Having consumed Nnoitra had made his power grow exponentially; the only reason he had not challenged Neliel for her position seemed to be that he didn't even care to. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez had grown, and in more ways than one.
"The tercero's disrespect aside, do not let yourself be fooled," Jellal said, now sporting a new tattoo of a 4 marking his status as cuarto. "Lady Halibel will suffer no fools. You will show her respect at all times."
"'Cause her watchdog will tear your guts out if you don't," Grimmjow cheerily added.
"How kind of you to join us for once, Jagerjaquez," Halibel said coolly. "I had thought we lost you to the world of the living."
"Eh, where else would I go to hunt and get a halfway decent scrap?" Grimmjow shrugged. "Highness."
"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Cirucci scoffed. "Constantly chasing human women instead of serving your queen."
"Jealous, quinta?" Grimmjow smirked. Cirucci scowled. Ignoring her, Grimmjow hopped down to stand before the new arrancar.
"Alright, shitbags," he said, grinning with his arms crossed over his chest, "you stand before your queen. Turn on her, and I'll personally rip your balls out and eat them. Now, are you assholes going to do anything stupid? That ain't a rhetorical question, answer."
There was a hasty number of assurances and denunciations, the terrified arrancar cowering before him.
"You sure about them, ladyship?" Grimmjow said, shaking his head amusedly. "They're weak."
"Be silent," Halibel ordered. "You three. Rise."
Grimmjow took a step back, obeying while shooting the three newcomers his best malicious glare. They rose, one woman, two men.
"Your names," Halibel demanded.
"Astor Korias, my queen," the first stuttered.
"Rudol Kohler, my queen."
"Caria Septimia, my queen."
Grimmjow was right about them only in the broadest sense, Halibel reasoned. They were miles off them in terms of power, but they had been perfected by Aizen's hougyoku, which as far as she knew was safely locked away in the Gotei's treasure vaults. The newcomers were naturally formed, but she sensed potential in them. Raw and untested, but like a seed they could be made to grow.
"You will be given a place at my court, and swear your loyalty to me," she said imperiously, her gaze fixed on the trio. "If you refuse this offer, you will be cast out into the wastes once more, never to return on pain of death. Join me and you will be given a place, my protection, and a chance to grow. Reject me, and you will brave the lonely wastes by yourselves. Is this understood?"
"Astor Korias, my queen," the first stuttered.
"Rudol Kohler, my queen."
"Caria Septimia, my queen."
Grimmjow was right about them only in the broadest sense, Halibel reasoned. They were miles off them in terms of power, but they had been perfected by Aizen's hougyoku, which as far as she knew was safely locked away in the Gotei's treasure vaults. The newcomers were naturally formed, but she sensed potential in them. Raw and untested, but like a seed they could be made to grow.
"You will be given a place at my court, and swear your loyalty to me," she said imperiously, her gaze fixed on the trio. "If you refuse this offer, you will be cast out into the wastes once more, never to return on pain of death. Join me and you will be given a place, my protection, and a chance to grow. Reject me, and you will brave the lonely wastes by yourselves. Is this understood?"
"Yes, my queen!" each of the three stuttered out, not quite in unison.
"And do you accept my offer?"
Caria Septimia stepped forward.
"We all travelled a long way to serve you, queen Halibel. I accept, and I swear loyalty to you and you alone."
"Until death?"
"Yes," Caria nodded. "Mine, or yours."
Halibel nodded. "And the two of you?"
"Caria speaks for all of us," Korias said. He was a skinny thing, undressed entirely. "I swear loyalty, the same as you."
"As do I," said Kohler eagerly. "I swear loyalty until death, queen Halibel."
Halibel nodded approvingly.
"Fernandes, see to it they are given clothes and quarter. Be advised, my new subjects, that there are rules here, rules that you break at your own peril. You will be instructed, and you will follow the rules given or be punished accordingly. That is the cost of peace."
The three arrancar bowed deeply, each eagerly giving their assent. Jellal escorted them out, leading the new subjects away.
"Feels good, don't it?" Grimmjow said with a grin. "Being on top. Giving out orders."
Halibel gave him a cold stare.
"Once, I would have taken that as envy. Now, I don't quite know what to think."
"Admit it," Grimmjow said with a shrug. "It suits ya. Even if you weren't trying to backstab Aizen or even that bastard Barragan, you're doin' more than either of them. And you like it."
"It's a burden and a duty that you know nothing about."
"Yeah, yeah," Grimmjow shrugged. "But it feels good too, don't it?"
"…I believe we can make something better," Halibel conceded. "Better than the likes of Aizen. And there is nobody left to do it but us. It is a strange twist of fate. Not long ago, I was content to merely take orders, and not long ago, you would have despised what you are now."
"Funny how that works," Grimmjow shrugged. "Eh, who cares. It is what it is. We done here? I got places to be."
"Respect," Neliel insisted disapprovingly.
"I got places to be, your highness," Grimmjow rolled his eyes.
"Dismissed," Halibel said, not allowing her annoyance to show. He had changed, certainly, but in many ways he had changed not at all.
Erza was normally too busy to even consider taking the day off, but today of all days it would have taken a major invasion to keep her away. Today, Ichigo graduated from his school at last. She had come alone, in a gigai graciously provided by Urahara.
The class was, of course, barely half of what it had once been. Karakura was still feeling the effects of that fateful day two years ago, when so many had been snuffed out. Ichigo's class had been hit particularly hard, no doubt because of the power that had rubbed off from him, a thought they had all tried their best to avoid. But even in the light of such a sombre reality, some joy had still managed to creep into the ceremony. Finally, after all these years, Ichigo would be ready to move on forward as his own.
Beside Erza was Masaki and Isshin, of course, and she saw Uryu in the distance- which was strange, given how he'd transferred over to a German school not long after the disaster. She watched the ceremony proceed with a lump in her throat. She had seen Ichigo grow from the time that he was a lump in Masaki's belly, from toddler to an energetic kid running around, into a moody teenager. She'd had the privilege of being his first teacher, and she'd seen him rise further and further, beyond her wildest dreams. One day, he might even surpass her. Now he was almost a man, ready to take the next step into adulthood. An era had ended, and it felt bittersweet.
When Ichigo came back from the podium, Erza was there to greet him along with his parents.
"Congratulations, Ichigo," Masaki said tearfully.
"My boy!" Isshin said enthusiastically, crushing his son in an enthusiastic hug.
"Geez, relax," Ichigo muttered. "It's no big deal."
"It's a milestone, Ichigo," Erza insisted. "Where are you going next? Do you have any university plans?"
"I'm still reviewing my options, but I'm thinking English. I'd make a good teacher," Ichigo said confidently. "After summer, I'm going to university."
"Attaboy!" Isshin said. "Now remember, that's the best time for a man to really sow his oats-"
"Okay dad I think I'll go say hi to my friends over there," Ichigo said, quickly disentangling himself from his parents. Masaki, smacking her husband over the head, said,
"Remember, we're on for lunch in a couple of hours, so don't take too long!"
Ichigo made his way over. His discomfort with his dad's awkward fumbling- as if he'd ever been within a mile of a university- was only part of it. Right now, he could do without his mother and aunt beaming with pride and telling him about his future. Right now, he'd rather think about right now. With his friends. There together, one last time before they all scattered to the winds in different universities with different career paths. This might be the last time they all saw each other together all at once, and he wanted to remember it.
There was Keigo and Mizuiro, of course, and Tatsuki and Chad, and Orihime and Chizuru as well. They'd been dating for a while now, and he wouldn't lose her, he was sure of it. And further back was Uryu, keeping his distance.
"So…" he began, staggering up to his friends.
"Your old man finally give you a break, huh?" Keigo said. His old energy was gone. No longer did he have that obnoxious spiritedness, where everything was a joke. He too had lost people- his mother, of all people- and he had only just been lucky enough to be out of town at the time, or he would have gone as well. Now finally more mature, Ichigo found that he missed the old Keigo. The battle of Karakura had taken their childhood from them, replaced the lackadaisical life they- well, most of them- had had with bitter grief, and nobody could escape that fact.
"Yeah well, I kinda had to. Can't let him do what he wants anymore. We're almost grown up."
"As if you ever let him get away with anything," Mizuiro said cheerfully.
"Guess that's right," Ichigo agreed. "So where are you guys headed next? I've been away a lot, and…"
"I'll say, I can barely get hold of you," Keigo scoffed. "It's only gotten worse these last two years!"
"It's okay," said Tatsuki, smiling for what seemed like the first time in ages. "I get it. I'm going to do professional karate for a few years. Maybe if it goes well enough, I'll open my own dojo some time, or work in the industry."
"No surprise there," Ichigo nodded approvingly. "Good on you."
"I've been accepted to medical school!" Orihime said enthusiastically.
"Damn," Keigo said, blinking. "An airhead like- I mean, that was unexpected?"
Ichigo frowned, but decided to let it go.
"Chad?" he asked.
"I'm going into boxing. My coach thinks I can go far," Chad said.
"Again, no surprises," Ichigo chuckled. "Right on, Chad. Knock them off their feet, yeah?"
"You know I will."
"I'm going to business school, what a drag," Keigo groaned. "Not even half as interesting as you guys."
"It'll be the same for me," Mizuiro said. "At least you'll have one guy from your old school with you."
"I'm… going to work in a sales thing," Chizuru said. "A couple years of school, then salaried work. Pays the bills. My girlfriend is particular about that."
"That mean you'll finally stop perving on Orihime?" Tatsuki said.
"Oh, um, not even once," Chizuru said. "That was… it's in the past."
"In the past, yeah," Orihime nodded graciously. "You should bring her over for dinner some time. We'd love to have you."
"We would?" said Ichigo. Catching Orihime's look, he quickly added, "I mean sure, yeah, absolutely."
"That only leaves four-eyes over there," Keigo said, jabbing a thumb in Uryu's direction. "Come on, don't stand in the back. What are you doing?"
"I got a scholarship in Germany doing… well, it's an obscure type of engineering," Uryu said evasively. "It'll be interesting, that's for sure."
"Engineering, huh?" Ichigo said knowingly. Whatever Uryu was doing abroad was likely more than that, but it wasn't his place to pry.
No, right now he just wanted to enjoy the moment. Talking amongst themselves, that moment quickly passed, but Ichigo made sure to etch it into his mind. This was the end, and a new beginning.
It started small when it first began. One night, not long after graduation, Erza was taking a shower. Her side had been aching a little as of late, her skin sore just under her right armpit. She hadn't paid much mind to it- some minor infection, or perhaps she had overdone it on the practice grounds. She did not have much reason to think it was amiss.
It was therefore that, when lathering her body under the steaming heat of her personal shower, she felt first surprise, then confusion, then concern and finally alarm when she felt the lump. A hardened surface on her skin, about the size of a fingernail… and the skin around it seemed stiffer. As Erza fingered the rough little lump, she felt more like it under her skin.
Suddenly very concerned, Erza stepped out of the shower, quickly drying herself off. She walked over to the mirror, wiping it off to see properly, as the heat had made it steam over. She raised her right arm and turned to the side, and looked carefully. She blinked, not quite believing her eyes. She moved closer, wiping the mirror again, studying the hardened surface as close as she could.
There, on her side and under her arm, a single white scale had formed, reptilian in its outlook, leathery and thick. What… what the hell was this? She had been afraid it was some kind of cancer, but this… this was beyond the scope of anything Erza had ever heard of. Fascinated, fixated even, she ran her finger up and down the leathery little formation on her skin, scraping at it like it were a scab. It ached, her entire side suddenly feeling sore, stretching down to her thigh and up to her elbow, but she ignored the minor pain. To her surprise the scale came off, falling harmlessly to the floor. A thin trail of blood ran down her side, pouring in a surprisingly copious quantity. Ignoring the bleeding, Erza bent down to pick up the scale, to study it. White, yes, and looking like… lizard molting, maybe? Like shed skin? She touched her side again, and where she was sorest, she felt her skin was thicker, uneven.
What the hell was happening to her?
She bandaged the wound, focusing on the immediate need to distract herself. But when it was done, Erza was still left with the same reality. Something was happening to her, something very wrong…
She would have to go see Unohana in the morning. First thing.
Erza did not sleep much that night, drifting off into an awkward half-slumber in the wee hours, plagued by visions of great reptiles. She went to wash herself in the morning before heading out, more to check on herself than keep clean. Once the bare minimum was done, she walked back to the mirror, raising her arm like before.
The scale from last night had been replaced. And a second one was all but uncovered, seeming to burst out of her skin.
What the hell was going on?
Uh oh. That can't be good. In fact, I suspect that if you've finished Fairy Tail you may have an idea as to just what is going on. If you do, congratulations. If you haven't, well, you're in for a surprise. I won't say more so as to not ruin it.
Also, just an FYI, yes, the Kokuto and Senna mentioned earlier are in fact the movie characters repurposed for our own universe. Expect to see them pop up occasionally here and there.