Chapter 38: After the Fall
The trip back to the guild was filled with silence. The ordeal they went through while fighting was eye-opening for a lot of things. For one, it just showed them that they must watch their backs more for any adversary that would want to harm their way of life. The methods Phantom Lord took to hurt them just showed that sometimes, extreme measures are necessary.
They all agreed to this, yet they didn't want to talk about it as they sat on the train quietly. Facing each other in seats of three, the wizards plus spirit beings were making themselves busy just to get the events that happened earlier off their heads. However, they just can't seem to shake it off their minds.
Erza and Ichigo were right next to the windows. The redhead knight had her head propped over her gauntlets. She sighed, letting the passing winds brush her face while seeing the scenery move by her at great speeds. Ichigo simply did the same thing as the knight in front of her; however, he had little Nel on his chest snuggling comfortably while she slept peacefully for the first time since she was held captive.
Natsu and Lisanna were sitting next to each other, for obvious reasons. Still vigilant of the harm his partner went through, the son of Igneel held his mate close to him while the youngest of the Strauss siblings felt safe in the arms of her beloved. That may be the case, the white-haired mage was in deep thought regarding a revelation she needed to tell her partner.
A revelation of their future.
Cana was sitting beside Ichigo while having a blank look. She had her eyes on her drinking flask, finally allowed to get some liquor after days of being banned from it. That said, she didn't feel like drinking after everything that's happened. She took a sip earlier, but the taste just felt bland. The mission… was a true eye-opener for her and, while she was no stranger to the dangers of being a wizard, there are far darker elements that exist in the world. What's more, the only way to deal with such darkness is equal viciousness.
Finally, Gajeel and Jiva were contemplating the fate of their former master. They've accepted the fact that Phantom Lord was no longer the same guild they were part of. However, they knew even back then that the guild was slowly going in a downward spiral. The things they've done before their fall from grace went everything against what was considered a legal guild. It is for that reason that they no longer want to associate themselves with Phantom Lord.
That said, there was the possibility of them never deserting their old guild. If that had happened, then surely, they would have crossed paths with Ichigo during this mission. What then would have been their fates? They didn't need to question that considering they already knew the answer.
Ichigo would kill them.
This belief was something Gajeel wholeheartedly agreed if he had stayed and not changed his ways. He didn't need to be reminded that he was worse than scum all those years ago. For Juvia, there was no guarantee she would be spared. Ichigo may have shown bouts of kindness and mercy, but once you exhaust them, it will be your death sentence.
Would that conclusion be the same if Ichigo and his family had joined Fairy Tail during the infamous guild war seven years ago? Nobody knows and it was best to not dwell on the past.
-o0o-
The train finally stopped. The conductor announces through the speakers that they've reached Magnolia, signaling the mages and reaper for them to disembark.
The walk to the guild hall was filled with the same silence as the earlier train ride. However, the mood seemed to lighten at the sight of their guildhall. Still, their entrance was more subdued compared to their usual loud and explosive entry.
When Ichigo entered the building, his family members quickly noticed the little girl in his arms. Orihime immediately recognized the fragile figure of the child and, in a panic, quickly rushed to the girl with a shout of worry.
"Oh my God, NEL!"
Yuzu and Karin, who were having a discussion when their brother entered, quickly recalled the name shouted by their sister-in-law. They also quickly rushed to their brother who cradled the Arrancar child.
Nel turned around and saw another familiar face she didn't expect to find in this strange world. "ORIHIME!" She quickly held out her arms and was immediately scooped up by the Kurosaki matriarch.
Whispers among the present guild wizards regarding the child spread around the place. Most of them were the Kurosaki family's association with the kid while others were regarding the kid's unpleasant condition.
"Nel, what are you doing here?" Orihime asked while looking over the little bundle in green. She then faced her husband and asked, "What is Nel doing here? How did she end up with you?"
"It's a little complicated, dear," Ichigo said with a sigh.
"Something tells me it's more than that," Karin remarked.
"And you'd be right," confirmed the older brother.
Yuzu noticed the insertion marks on the girl's skin and grew concerned. "What happened to her? She looks like someone… I don't even want to go there."
"I'll explain later, I promise." Ichigo's assurance seemed to calm down his sisters and wife. He then noticed Kazui wasn't around, "Where's Kazui?"
"He, Wendy, and Romeo are in the arcade room of the guildhall," Orihime answered. "You don't need to worry about them. They've been playing for an hour or so with the other guild members."
"I see."
"I'll take her to the infirmary and see if Porlyusica can check her condition."
"You do that while Erza and I go talk with the guildmaster."
Meanwhile, Makarov saw this from one of the balconies and knew immediately that something must have happened. Both the wizened mage and the reaper shared eye contact – a silent understanding that there were things that needed to be said in private.
The old man wasn't the only one to notice this. The rest of the guild's members found it concerning that the door wasn't broken down in a fit of excitement from Natsu. The rest of his teammates saw this and knew something was wrong. Mirajane and Elfman noted the clinginess the dragon slayer was exhibiting toward their youngest sibling, indicating that the mission had unforeseen circumstances befall them.
"Lisanna, Natsu," the white-haired eldest approached the team with her usual radiant smile. "Welcome back."
"Hey, sis," Elfman greeted, his usual manly antics restrained in favor of calm concern.
Lisanna looked at her partner. She had to reveal it to Natsu but her family needed to know first. "Natsu, can I have a moment with my siblings? I… I need to tell them something. Something important."
The slight hesitation in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Natsu. This must be important to her, therefore, he let her go with Mirajane and Elfman. "Sure, Lis," he said with a goofy smile. "Just know that I'll be here when you need me."
Lisanna returned his smile with her own. "I know." She kissed him on the cheek before taking her sister and brother's hands, pulling them to one of the private quarters in the guild hall.
As Lisanna disappeared, the son of Igneel and Titania was quickly called by Lucy. The Celestial mage waved a hand to her two friends from a nearby table.
"Well, if you need me, I'll be at the bar," Cana said and made her way to the liquor booth. "I'm gonna waste myself away for a week in alcohol after that clusterfuck. Thanks for the week-long free tab, Ichigo!" she waved cheerily but behind that was a tired sigh from the whole encounter courtesy of the previous mission.
Ichigo deadpanned at the alcohol-loving brunette. He turned around and saw Juvia and Gajeel headed for a table at the far corner. "We'll be going to, Ichigo," said the water mage.
"Yeah," the son of Metallicana nodded. "After what happened, it's best if the two of us think about it for a while."
"Okay. I'll see you then," replied the reaper.
"Looks like Lucy and the others are calling us," Natsu told Ichigo. "You wouldn't spend if I spent some time with my team, right?"
"Go on ahead. You deserve to rest."
"Thanks, Ichigo." As Natsu ran off to the rest of Team Natsu, the death god glanced at Erza and gestured to the guildmaster up on the balcony.
"Let's go," said the redhead. "Master Makarov would want to hear this."
Ichigo and Erza sat opposite their guildmaster who was behind his desk. The reaper handed out the reports gathered by their informant to Makarov who then perused the documents presented. As expected, what the old man read didn't sit well with him. It even made him wretch at the things Phantom Lord had done to obtain revenge on Fairy Tail.
Having finished reviewing the intel, Makarov gently placed it on his desk and let out a tired breath he didn't know he held back. "This is… this is very concerning."
"That's putting it lightly, Master Makarov," Ichigo remarked.
"I know," Makarov answered. "Though I have read the reports presented, is still want to hear your thoughts on the earlier operation."
"Before we begin," Erza interrupted, "I want to know when were you going to tell us Doranbolt, or Mest Gryder, is one of us?"
The tone of her voice hinted that she wanted answers. Makarov obliged, knowing that she needed to know this. "Sooner than you imagined, actually," he revealed. "That said, how did you know he was a member of Fairy Tail?"
"Ichigo found out first," the redhead said while jabbing a thumb at the reaper beside her.
The old Wizard Saint couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm not surprised you figured it out." He then began recalling the proposal of that zealous spy of his. "Mest may be one of the most loyal members of the guild. My idea of infiltrating the Magic Council was taken a step further when he proposed to erase his memories to solidify his disguise. I initially refuted it at first, but he was so adamant about it that we eventually came to a compromise."
"The secret command where you can restore his memories every time you two meet," Erza concluded to which the master nodded.
"That is the definition of loyalty," Ichigo whistled just like his meeting with Mest.
"In any case, we owe it all to that man for the intel we have right now… and others." When Makarov saw the raised eyebrows from his two strongest members, he quickly stated, "It's something both of you are not ready to know yet."
"Okay, master. If you say so."
"Don't worry, Ichigo, Erza. In time, I will share with you what Mest has been truly gathering. But, for now, we should discuss what you found in Phantom Lord's base starting with that kid you brought. Ichigo, you and the rest of your family seem to know her very closely."
"That we do," confirmed the death god. "Her name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, and she is an Arrancar." Makarov's eyes widened with this revelation. Ichigo hastily put the old man's growing fear to rest. "Yes, she is similar to the ones Erza and I fought just moments after the whole Phoenix incident but, unlike them, Nel is one of our closest friends. She was once a member of the now-defunct Espada, the elite squad of ten of the strongest Arrancars who fought the Winter Wars back in my world. She was eventually replaced but, before that happened, she used to be the Tres Espada, the third strongest."
"Is that so?" While not showing it, he was surprised to find out that the child was incredibly strong for being so young. However, if she was indeed that strong then… "How was she captured then?"
"She is currently in her child form," answered Ichigo. "She's vulnerable in this state."
"Still, to think they'd do this to a child. And what of the child now?"
Erza answered this time. "Orihime took her to the infirmary and notified Porlyusica. I guess she wanted to check on her condition first before fixing what else was done to her."
"A wise decision, to say the least," Makarov nodded in approval. Now, however, it was time to get to the heart of the matter. "So, Ichigo…" the old man eyed the reaper knowingly, "did you do it?"
"I did," answered the hybrid without hesitation.
Makarov closed his eyes in disappointment. "I see…" He wasn't disappointed in Ichigo since he was likely pushed into doing it. No, he was disappointed at Jose for stooping so low that he had to be put down. "Let's start with the details regarding the mission. Did you encounter any complications? From the way you entered the guild hall tells me there were."
Erza and Ichigo glanced at each other before the former answered. "I have to be honest with you, Master Makarov; we had everything planned out and the intel provided by Mest was very helpful. However, the mission was somehow compromised. They were ready for us."
"Give me the details," requested the guildmaster.
"Our initial plan was to infiltrate their base and extract any information they possessed. It was easy getting in but we never took into consideration that it was all a trap.
"We decided to split up to cover more ground but they used that to their advantage. Jose's remaining lieutenants led the ambush. Sol confronted me and Cana; Aria with Gajeel and Juvia; and, to our surprise, Rusty Rose of Grimoire Heart fought Natsu and Lisanna."
Makarov's eyes shot wide after hearing a member of the infamous dark guild working with Phantom Lord.
"We expected them to be stronger," Erza continued. "However, none of us could've prepared for the kind of power they possessed." The redhead's eyes narrowed at the memory of the mission. "They can harness the same power as Ichigo. They have Hollowfication."
"This is more dire than I thought," Makarov remarked. "That said, I'm still not that knowledgeable when it comes to the many aspects of the afterlife. Would you please explain the intricacies behind Hollowfication?"
"I think it's best if you take this one, Ichigo," the redhead said to the reaper.
"Right," nodded Ichigo as he began to explain. "Hollowfication is the process in which a soul changes due to the introduction of a Hollow's soul. The purpose of this is to break the boundary between the two spiritual species to create something stronger. It was initially pioneered by my mentor, Kisuke Urahara, and later on by Aizen Sōsuke, and was initially conceived as a way to transcend the boundaries between Soul Reapers and Hollows.
"However, such a procedure comes with risks, the most prominent being Soul Suicide." He saw the concerned looks from Makarov and Erza and clarified, "Soul Suicide occurs when the Hollow soul begins to destabilize the original soul and is subsequently followed by its degradation. This is due to the imbalance present and the only way to mitigate this is to add in the souls of the races opposite to the current subject's soul and the Hollow soul."
"This all seems complicated." Makarov had to admit, this was a little scientific for his understanding. Given that this was related to the spiritual world, it just made it more confusing. That said, he at least understood that there are consequences for this kind of power. "So, you're saying that Hollowfication could kill, and it needs special procedures to do this to even be remotely successful."
"Correct," confirmed Ichigo.
"You said this procedure requires the insertion of souls opposite to the subject's, right?" Erza inquired.
"Yes," Ichigo nodded. "Soul Reapers and Quincies are opposites as well as Humans and Hollows. As long as the souls, or at least the essences of said counterparts are present, Soul Suicide can be mitigated."
Taking all of this into account, it begs the question…
"Then how is it possible for Phantom Lord to obtain such power given its many risks?" asked the old wizard.
"I have a theory that it's not true Hollowfication." This caught the interest of Erza and Makarov. So, they hear him out. "During the Millenium Blood War, the captains of the Court Guard had their Bankai stolen by the Wandenreich. To reverse this, Hat n' Clogs created pills that would imbue Soul Reapers with enough Hollow Reishi to make their Bankai poisonous to the Quincies.
"I think we're seeing a similar method here but, instead of functioning the same way as those pills, it lets their soul adapt to the change but not enough to induce Soul Suicide. I have to admit, it's pretty genius for the one who came up with this; however, he used Nel's Spiritual Energy for their power."
"Has Jose truly gone so low?" Makarov questioned.
"If they're willing to exploit a child, then they are monsters in human skin," Erza stated while gritting her teeth at Phantom Lord's inhumane ambition for power. She then sighed, recalling her fight with the Hollowfied Aria. "That said, they had more than enough power to take on me and Cana. The same thing happened to Juvia, Gajeel, Natsu, and Lisanna as well. Because of that, they manage to kidnap Lisanna and severely injure Natsu. It was a good thing Ichigo brought those healing solutions or we won't have the strength to attempt the rescue."
Hearing this, Makarov looked down in shame. "I must apologize for having all of you go through that. I should've taken measures in case of such events."
"No, master, it's not your fault!" Erza quickly spoke. "None of us could've known that they had prepared a trap for us. Even Mest wasn't aware of it."
"And he is the best in the guild at gathering information," the old man finished. "Be that as it may, it was still within my oversight to prepare contingencies. I take full responsibility for this and that is final."
"Stubborn old man." Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle at Makarov. "Anyway, with their Hollowfication, they managed to overpower the others. Oddly enough, I half expected at least one of them to come at me. Weird…"
"Luckily, Ichigo managed to capture Sol and interrogate him for information," Erza added. "The information we extracted from him was more than enough to help us plan a rescue attempt. By the way, Ichigo; what has become of Sol?"
Ichigo answered without hesitation. "I killed him."
Erza's eyes grew wide while Makarov sighed once more. "You… you killed him?" the redhead asked in horrific astonishment.
In response, Ichigo narrowed his eyes and said, "I know what you're thinking, Erza, and that is the reason why I didn't have any of you present during the interrogation."
"Fine," she relented, knowing full well how differently the reaper dealt with enemies. "Did he at least say anything else other than the info we used to rescue Lisanna and Nel?"
"Their reason for doing this." This got the attention of the two mages. "As you may have guessed, they're still pretty hung up on their loss against you from seven years ago."
"I had hoped they would bury that old grudge long ago," Makarov said with a forlorn expression. "Seven years. For seven years they've held onto their hatred for our guild when the conflict initially stemmed from them."
"You should've seen what that earth mage was blabbering about."
"What did he say?" inquired Erza at Ichigo.
"That this whole fiasco was nothing more than an ego-driven revenge plot for being one-upped by Fairy Tail," the reaper replied. "I could hardly believe it myself, but these kinds of people aren't new to me. I've dealt with vengeful people before, but those I fought had legitimate reasons to seek revenge. Phantom Lord, on the other hand, are just spiteful for not getting the spotlight. It's kind of pathetic, but they were so convinced that there was no reasoning with them."
"But why go so far?" Erza asked no one in particular. She was wondering why Phantom Lord would do such things when they never once did anything to provoke their ire.
"Because they're petty, Erza." Ichigo's answer was short yet it made so much sense. "The world will always have people like that; people so full of themselves that they think the world revolves around them."
"He speaks the truth, Erza," Makarov added in agreement. "I have my fair share of meeting people like Jose and it never ends well once their ego takes a hit."
"Exactly," Ichigo continued. "Once that happens, they won't stop at nothing to make the ones who hurt their ego pay. Jose was just another living, breathing example of a walking egomaniac who has power filled with revenge."
"…And he managed to spread his belief into his subordinates." Makarov's input was evident regarding the rescue mission. "Not only that, he managed to gather like-minded people who would follow his cause. It simply shows that ego could spark the flames of revenge in an individual even with the pettiest of reasons."
"It's also easy to find individuals who would follow him. That's how much ego and revenge can easily infect people into doing the unthinkable."
Erza didn't say anything as she absorbed all the words the two older people had spoken.
They were right.
She's seen firsthand what vengeance and ego could do to people. Phantom Lord had seven years to change their ways and yet, even to this day, they still cling to that hatred. It made them do so many heinous acts that they could no longer be considered humans. It is only compounded when people would willingly join them for the same reasons.
However, just as Ichigo said, that's just the way it is. Revenge will always blacken people's hearts and take as many as it can into its blackened maw regardless. It is easy to fall for it while difficult to impossible to never come back.
Such is the virulence of revenge.
The rebuilt guildhall of Fairy Tail isn't just meant to entertain the resident mages with quests or pastimes, it also serves as a second home for its members when the need arises. This is the reason why aside from the different entertainment sections, lounges, the bar, and the infirmary, there were at least a dozen spare rooms available in case some wizards needed refuge.
It's in one of these spare rooms that Lisanna pulled her siblings into. The youngest of the trio knew the secret she kept needed to be told to her older sister and brother. They needed to know because…
Because she doesn't know what to do.
Lisanna was lost. Not long ago, she almost lost the little life growing inside her. The blood trickling down her leg almost broke her and the idea of losing what could've been Madeline a second time was utterly terrifying. What's more, she just had a front-row seat of her unborn child's father getting beaten to an inch of his life.
It was just so petrifying with this baggage running through her mind. It was why her hands were so shaky when she pulled Mira and Elfman into that separate dorm which didn't go unnoticed by the oldest of siblings.
"Lisanna," Mira gently called. "Is everything all right?"
The question from the older sister made Lisanna fidget uncomfortably. Despite her self-insistence on the matter, she was fearful of the reaction she might incur from her siblings.
"I…" she hesitated. "I don't…know."
"Sis, you need to tell us what's wrong for us to help you," Elfman stated softly. Lisanna was always the more soft-spoken one in their family, but this just wasn't normal for her.
As much as Mira appreciated her younger brother's worry for their youngest sibling, it was clear to her that Lisanna was uncomfortable disclosing whatever it was she wished to say. She knew what she needed to do.
Slowly approaching her anxious younger sister, Mira gently took Lisanna's hands and pulled her to the nearest bed, both sitting on the soft mattress. "Sis, whatever it is you're going to say, it must be very important that you find it difficult to even say a word. That's okay. You don't need to force yourself if it's uncomfortable for you." She rubbed her sister's knuckles, an action that eased the agitated girl's mind. "Elfman and I are willing to wait until you're ready. Right, Elfman?"
Mira's words made the hulking older brother realize that he may have been pushy with Lisanna. If she was still hesitant to say anything, then he had no right to force.
"Yeah, Mira." Facing their youngest sibling, Elfman added, "I'm sorry if I came a bit pushy earlier. If you're still feeling uneasy, then take your time."
"And finally, whatever it is you're going to tell us, know that we will never judge you for it, okay? No matter what happens, you'll always have us."
Lisanna stared at her big sister with appreciation as a few gentle tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. Mira was always understanding even during her rougher years. That hasn't changed in the slightest and Lisanna was thankful that she has such a loving older sibling.
When she looked at Elfman, he gave her an understanding nod followed by a goofy smile. The protective yet manly big brother of hers was just as caring and considerate as Mira. Truly, Lisanna was blessed with a family this amazing.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, the uneasiness Lisanna was feeling was gone. "Thank you, big sis… big brother. I needed that." With a face filled with honesty and determination, she was now ready to reveal her secret.
As Lisanna divulged what it was that she was keeping, Mira and Elfman's eyes gradually grew wide. This was one revelation that would truly affect their family as a whole.
After what seemed like an hour or so, Lisanna finished telling everything, leaving her brother and sister to process what they just heard.
"Oh my…" Mira breathed out. With a hand over her forehead, she was still in shock from what was recently revealed. "This was not what I expected."
"Nor did I," Elfman expressed as well.
"Tell me, who else knows about it?" Mira questioned.
"Ichigo knows," answered Lisanna. "He confronted me right after the mission briefing with Master Makarov."
"Wait a minute," Elfman realized something. "If he confronted about it, then he let go into this mission knowing the danger?"
"Big brother, please don't blame Ichigo for this," the youngest of the Strauss siblings said, trying to appease her brother. "Ichigo was just as concerned about my insistence on joining the mission. I was adamant that he brought me along."
While that pacified Elfman, he was still a bit upset that Ichigo didn't try harder to dissuade Lisanna from participating in such a dangerous quest.
"That said, it's not the thing I'm worried about…"
When the older siblings heard what their youngest said, they immediately understood what she meant. "You're thinking of how Natsu might react to this."
Lisanna meekly nodded her head. Now that her siblings know the truth, all that's left is to tell Natsu about it. As far as everyone was concerned, he was the one who needed to hear it the most. After all, everything would change once he hears what Lisanna has to say.
However, the fear and uncertainty in Lisanna revolved around how her significant other's reaction would be. Would he see her differently? Would he be disgusted? Would he leave her? Would he…
"Lisanna!"
The girl was snapped out of her thoughts thanks to her older siblings.
"Lis, you were on the verge of hyperventilating," Elfman said in worry.
"Lisanna, are you that worried about this?" Mira prodded as gently as she could.
"I am," Lisanna replied honestly. "It's just… so overwhelming. I don't know what could happen once I tell him. Would he even see me the same way? I'm just so… so afraid that I don't know if I should go through with it." She was on the verge of tears after she said those words.
As for the other two in the room, this was the first time they'd seen their sister this conflicted. The burden of carrying this secret was weighing more heavily on her than they originally thought. It was easier for Lisanna to tell them since they were her siblings and would never judge her. Natsu, on the other hand? While he and Lisanna are now closer than ever, all of that could change once everything is revealed.
Quick to take action, Mira took in her sobbing sister in a comforting embrace. Elfman did not join in, yet his presence alone was enough to assure his youngest sister that he'd be there.
"There, there…" Mira's soft, gentle voice was paired with her gentle touches on her sister's hair. "You're afraid and I understand that. Something that big would no doubt affect the things between you and Natsu going forward. However, would you let that fear control you and deny the one you love the truth?"
"No…" Lisanna whispered.
"Elfman and I are glad that you came to us first, but Natsu has just as much right to it, maybe even more." Mira gently pulled herself apart to look at her sister. "Besides, you've known Natsu the longest out of any of us. Even among his teammates, he still cherishes you the most, especially now that you're together."
"Yeah, you're right," said the youngest of the Strauss a little calmer now. "Still, I'm nervous about what could happen."
"That's the thing, Lisanna, you're still thinking about what could happen. You'll never know the outcome unless dive in and that fear of the unknown is what's keeping you from figuring this out." To show how sincere she was, Mirajane gave a serene, assuring smile – one only meant for those near and dear to her. "Sometimes, when we're afraid of the choices we're about to make, all it takes is a leap of fate. You'll never know what's on the other side unless you take that jump."
As Lisanna listened to her sister's words, it reminded her of what Ichigo told her a month or so ago. It was about fear and never letting it control you. Mira pretty much retold the same thing, albeit in her gentle, caring way. What would be gained if she remained fearful of the outcome? Nothing, that's what. Nothing will happen and that fear will only grow as time goes by. She needed to confront it and deal with the consequences that it may bring.
"You're right, big sis," said the girl who returned her sister's smile with her own. "Nothing's going to happen if I just remain here and be fearful. I need to tell Natsu the truth and, whatever the outcome of it may be, I'll face it head-on."
"That's the spirit!" Mira cheered, happy that Lisanna was no longer anxious or crestfallen.
"And if Natsu ever does something to hurt you, then just leave it to big brother Elfman to beat him to a bloody pulp," Elfman declared while flexing his freakishly huge muscles.
The sisters deadpanned at their only brother before erupting into a joyous laughter. Elfman joined in on the fun.
In the infirmary, little Nel was undergoing a rigorous check-up courtesy of Fairy Tail's resident physician, Porlyusica. Upon seeing the state of the rescued child, the cranky old doctor immediately deduced the kind of horror the poor girl went through.
It was sickening, she thought, that people would do this to a child. Porlyusica already got the rundown from Orihime – who was present by the way – that this person can turn into an adult and that is her true form. Nonetheless, it still doesn't change that Phantom Lord did something unforgivable to someone innocent.
"How is she?" Orihime asked the healer.
"She's riddled with needle insertions for one," Porlyusica began. "She's malnourished as well. Whatever kind of childcare Phantom Lord practiced, it's downright atrocious." After examining Nel, the old doctor looked at the Kurosaki matriarch and answered, "While the needle insertions have healed, she needs ample rest and proper food. Poor girl must've been starved while in captivity. A day or two would suffice, though a week would be most optimal."
"I'll remember that." Approaching the toddler-sized Arrancar, Orihime picked Nel up and cradled her in her arms. "Once she gets enough rest, I'll reverse the damage on her mask and restore her to her original form."
"You do that," Porlyusica agreed with her. "Restoring her to what she used to be could accelerate her recovery and improve her condition."
"Thank you, Miss Porlyusica," Orihime said as she bowed in gratitude for looking over her friend.
Once Orihime finally left, Makarov entered the ward. He just finished conducting a debriefing and wanted to consult his former team member regarding the Arrancar that was rescued.
"What is her condition?" Makarov asked.
"As I said earlier to Orihime, a good long rest and plenty of food would suffice."
"I see. That's good then."
"Makarov." Porlyusica sounded grave and uncertain. "Do you feel that things are moving too quickly?"
The diminutive guildmaster looked at his former teammate with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"It's just… this guild has gone through so much in just a short period. Not counting the seven-year absence you all had, you can at least observe that your children have fought one tragedy after another."
"It is inevitable, Porlyusica, considering the history this guild has and the influence it brought upon the magic world. There was no doubt in my mind that we would eventually come into blows with the dark forces given what we stand for."
Porlyusica knew very well what Makarov was referring to and yet it was not what she had in mind. "I know that much; however, things changed when Ichigo and his family came into the guild."
"Oh? And what would you mean by that?"
"While I have no doubt this guild's past and secrets will eventually catch up to us, I'm afraid that beyond that conflict lies an even greater calamity – one where forces beyond our understanding will shake the core foundation of our world.
"Ichigo is the catalyst that started this change and what I'm afraid of is that we might not be able to adapt."
However, Makarov wasn't worried. "I share your concerns, Porlyusica, but I have the utmost confidence in everyone within the guild. They've faced trials that would've made anyone crumble. We will weather the coming storm."
"Then, what of the Wandenreich?" Porlyusica was given details regarding the militaristic Quincies and their omnipotent emperor some time ago thanks to the man before her. "The children won't be able to fight them as they are. They need to be stronger and they have yet to experience the true harshness of the world."
"And that is where Ichigo comes in." Makarov saw the confused look from his friend and elaborated. "I believe that Ichigo will be the one to guide us when Yhwach and his forces ever decide to come. I trust my children that they will fight with whatever they have but with Ichigo here, he will be their beacon when the Wandenreich's darkness sets foot on Earthland. He will carry them through that struggle and they will be behind him with their full support. After all, we have come to accept him and his family as one of our own, so why would we ever not stand by him?"
Porlyusica looked amused, taking a different meaning behind Makarov's words. "From the way you said it, I'm thinking you're going to choose Ichigo as your successor."
The old mage let out a mirthful chuckle. "You never know, Porlyusica. He is at the top of my list along with Erza and Laxus. That said, after much deliberation with Warrod, I now have my choice as to who will take my place as Fairy Tail's guildmaster."
The underlying message was clear. Porlyusica already knew who it was that would be the seventh guildmaster. "Then I look forward to the day he leads the guild."
Porlyusica decided that it was time for her to return to her cottage. This left Makarov alone in the infirmary pondering about the future now that their guild was thrust into something beyond just magic. Still, he had hope that this family would pull through.
"So, you're telling us that this kid right here," Gray pointed at Nel who was looking at him strangely, "Nel, is supposedly this uber-powerful Arrancar. Did I get that right?"
"Right," Karin answered.
"…And you're going to fix her mask so she can revert to her adult form," Lucy added, this time asking Orihime who was preparing herself.
After the check-up from Porlyusica, Orihime quickly brought Nel out into the main gathering hall of the guild building. As expected, the little girl quickly became the center of attention; what with everyone wanting to find out the connection between Nel and the Kurosaki family. With the presence of a Hollow mask much like Ichigo and Kazui, their speculations of either being a relative or, at least, a friend, were founded.
"Yeah," confirmed the flower princess. "The reason why Nel's a kid is because her mask was cracked which leaks out her Spiritual Energy."
"How did she get her mask cracked in the first place?"
Orihime and Karin shared a glance. "I think it's best if you take this one. I wasn't there when you found out what happened to her."
"Alright." Facing Lucy and her teammates, Orihime recounted the events that led her to discover the little girl's history. "It's a pretty depressing story if I recall. Her full name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and she served as the third strongest Arrancar during the early days of the Espada."
"Okay, you lost me there," Gray said. "It's the first time I've heard of the word Espada."
"Oops… sorry. The Espada was a group of the ten strongest Arrancars under Sōsuke Aizen's army and Nel used to occupy its third seat. If you want a comparison, they're like the counterpart to the Soul Reapers of the Court Guard."
"I still don't understand it, but I guess I can say I got the gist of it," Gray shrugged. This whole supernatural thing was way above his pay grade. "Still, you haven't told us how she got her mask broken."
Orihime looked at Nel sympathetically. "One of the Espada, Noitra Gilga was his name, was jealous of Nel's position as the third strongest. He staged an ambush attacked Nel when she was unaware and left her for dead in the deserts of Hueco Mundo."
"That's… that's just awful!" Lucy was appalled by Noitra's actions. It was evident that the man was a sexist jerk who deserved every kind of retribution.
"Luckily, Noitra was killed during the Winter War, so we don't have to worry about him anymore."
"Good riddance," Gray remarked.
Just a few seats away, Laxus was witnessing the commotion and decided to probe further. He already knew what the kid was and how he was connected to the supernatural, but he was interested in seeing how this would turn out.
Standing up, he decided to approach one of the Kurosaki siblings – Yuzu, to be precise – and ask her for more details regarding the possible outcome of this procedure.
"So, what do you think will happen?" he asked.
Yuzu glanced at the tall blonde before returning her gaze to her sister-in-law and the Arrancar child. "Honestly? I'm confident that Orihime can reverse the damage."
"I think so too," Laxus admitted. However, there is one question Laxus was curious about regarding the nature of Orihime's powers.
"Can Orihime bring back the dead?" he asked.
Yuzu glanced at the dragon slayer in mild surprise and yet that quickly faded as she gave him an answer. "Yes, she can."
It was Laxus' turn to be surprised. "She can?" he asked in a hushed yet surprised tone. He already knew of Orihime's abilities thanks to Ichigo but never its scope.
"There are limits, though," Yuzu quickly added. "For one, her powers are tied to her mental state. If she's reluctant or anxious, her powers won't be as efficient. Secondly, the only thing that can negate her abilities is a much stronger being with greater Reiatsu. That said, she had fifteen years to hone her powers to what it is today and she no longer has the mental constraints she used to have years ago when we just arrived here."
"…And aside from the four of you, no one has enough Reiatsu to overpower her ability to reject events. Damn…" Laxus was greatly astounded.
"I know, but somehow, I wasn't surprised that this was the kind of power she obtained. For as long as I can remember, Orihime was never one for fighting. She's always been a healer and would never resort to combat unless necessary. Oh look, they're starting."
While the conversation may have ended abruptly, it did leave a lot of things for Laxus to think about.
"Okay, Nel, I'm gonna fix your mask now." Orihime's hairpins glowed before two streaks of light dashed around her before stopping and reconstituting into their pixy forms. "Shun'o, Ayame, let's do it."
"Roger!"
"Okay!"
The two fairies cheerily replied before flying to the Arrancar child and enveloping her in a dome of light.
"Ready?" Orihime's question was quickly answered with a nod from the little girl, showing her trust in the older woman. "Sōten Kisshun, I reject!"
Everyone present was assaulted by a quick flash of light. Inside the dome, Nel could feel the cracks in her mask begin to meld. Even the unsightly scar that ran over her delicate face slowly vanished.
The process was steady, yet the child inside the sphere of light felt her former strength returning. The energy she had been constantly losing was now flowing naturally in her body without the threat of leakage.
"I see no more injuries on her. It's finished." Orihime finally recalled Shun'o and Ayame, letting them merge with the others in the woman's hairpins. "There, good as new!"
Just as Orihime said those words, a big cloud of smoke exploded from Nel that covered the entire hall of the building. Fits of coughing and choking became rampant thanks in no small part to the thick fume.
"Gah! What the heck just happened!?" Nab gasped between coughs.
"Somebody, open the windows!" Jet screamed while covering his face.
"It's already open!" Warren yelled.
Somebody kicked the door open and let a good amount of the smoke billow out of the building. Eventually, the building was cleared of it, granting everyone a good chance to breathe normally. However, once everything became visible, all mages present widened their eyes when they stared at Nel.
Gone was the innocent little child and in her place was a tall, curvaceous woman with long lime-green hair flowing down her back, big brown eyes that had child-like innocence, a pinkish birthmark on the bridge of her nose, and… a rack that would put every girl in the guild to shame. But that wasn't what got their attention. No, on top of all that, she was naked.
"Oh, hello," the woman greeted nonchalantly.
In clichéd fashion, every male in the guildhall fainted after ejecting a gallon of blood from their nose. For the perverted ones, they just saw a woman who is just as big, if not bigger, than Mira in her birthday suit.
Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs. She picked up a table and whacked the closest guy next to her. Unfortunately, that happened to Gray of all people, and he was instantly knocked out. By the way, happened to be one of the few who had the decency to look away.
"MY DARLING GRAY!" Juvia cried overdramatically.
"Welcome back, Nel," Orihime greeted, unfazed by Nel's nudity.
The Arrancar woman's face brightened upon seeing her dear friend. "Orihime!" she caught her in a big hug which was returned by the healer. "It's good to see you! I never thought I'd get to see a familiar face in this world!"
"I know what you mean." Orihime then handed Nel a set of clothes. "But first, you might want to wear these for the sake of everyone's health."
"Um… what do you mean?"
The ginger-haired woman didn't answer and simply pointed at the bodies of the male populace of Fairy Tail all lying in a pool of their blood.
"Whoops! Hehe, sorry…"
During the commotion, Lisanna quickly pulled Natsu away from everyone and headed to the upper floors. After mustering much strength thanks to her siblings, she was now determined to let him know of what she kept hidden.
As for the dragon slayer in question, he was confused. The son of Igneel noticed that his partner was anxious by the time they arrived and when he was about to ask her, Lisanna pulled her siblings into one of the rooms. He didn't want to intrude, so he let it be. Now, on the other hand, it was him and her alone in the hallway leading to the balcony.
"Lis, what's the matter?" he asked. "You've been acting strange ever since we came back from that mission. Are you still tired from the mission?"
Lisanna shook her head. "No, it's something else." Making eye contact with her partner, she said, "Natsu, I have something to tell you."
"Was it the reason you pulled Mira and Elfman away?"
"Yes, it is. How'd you know?" she said in slight surprise.
Natsu gave a sheepish grin and answered, "I know I'm not the most attentive out of everyone, but when it comes to you how you feel, I try my best to always be aware."
A blush appeared over Lisanna's face. "Natsu…" This is it. "Whatever it is I have to say, please listen to me before you do anything, alright?"
"Huh?" the dragon slayer was confused. "Of course, I'll listen to you. Why'd you ask that?"
"It's just… this is something big. I don't know how you'll react and that's what afraid of. Luckily, I had Mira and Elfman help me sort through all of it."
"Lisanna, I will always listen to you no matter what." That declaration was filled with sincerity and truth. "Whatever it is you want to tell me, I promise that I won't do anything to hurt you."
"I know you won't." She placed a hand on his face, caressing his cheek lovingly. She smiled when he leaned into her hand to feel her touch. "This would change everything about us moving forward."
"But I will never change how I feel for you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Lisanna took in a deep breath and looked into Natsu's eyes. "Natsu, I'm pregnant."