Hello my dear readers, and happy holidays! I've come to bring you all yet another chapter. Truth be told, I wasn't so sure I'd be able to get one out this month. As a matter of fact, this chapter was originally meant to have twice the content...but the chapter started to get longer and longer than I expected, and I didn't want to keep you all waiting too long for the next chapter, so I decided to put it up here. While one may consider this a filler chapter, it's actually very important for future events. Why is that? Well, how's about I let you all find out for yourselves?

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!


Deep into one of the many forests, one could find in Fiore, the dark guild simply known as Dark Stallion could be found in their massive fortress. While not being one of the strongest dark guilds, it boosted a high member count, having well over 500 wizards and bandits as a part of its might. More often than not, they often lent out their members to other dark guilds who usually needed an occasional increase in muscle for some of the more difficult schemes and crimes that they would engage in, sometimes even assisting with the major members of the Balem Alliance. While considered a priority target by the Magic Council, due to the sheer size of the guild no move had been made against them. After all, no ordinary guild would have any chance of victory.

Celestial Blade, however, was no ordinary guild. Standing before the massive fortress well into the early hours of the morning, surrounded by wizards was a woman with short blue hair with the exception of a single strand of green hair, carrying a blade behind her back and wearing a black spandex suit. Her name was Xerina Quido, an S class member of Celestial Blade.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. All she had to do was just wait outside for Maria, one of Mistress Long's informants, to give what she was told was extremely valuable and sensitive information regarding a potential contact from within the magic council, the supposed traitor her guild master had spoken about from time to time. It was too risky to send a communication Lacrima or some sort of letter. The fewer people who knew about this the better.

However, an encounter with one of the dark guild's more...sleazy member's touching her butt had led to Xerina promptly punching the offending man through a nearby tree and gathering unnecessary attention to herself. Thus she stood here, alone, facing a force of well over 100 mages.

"Come on now hot stuff, just put down the sword and we promise we won't hurt you. Much."

Xerina scoffed as she heard yet another poor attempt to get her to surrender as the dark wizard's laughed at the man's poor sense of humor. This was getting her nowhere fast. At the rate this was going, she would have to get serious. She tapped her right ear, activating the communicator within. "Mistress Long. I have a problem."

"Clearly."

Meifon Long, guild master of Celestial Blade and the 7th wizard saint was not far from one of her guildmate's predicament. In fact, she was much closer than anyone would have expected, her airship known as Sunraiser floated several hundred feet in the sky above, keeping a close eye on the situation. Though unlike most airships that looked more akin to a pirate ship, Sunraiser was more like a dreadnought battleship. She took a sip of tea as she sat at the helm of the ship before she spoke. "Really, Xerina, you must work to control that temper of yours."

"My apologies, Mistress. Shall I prepare myself for punishment upon my return?"

Meifon couldn't help but laugh a little before she answered. "Oh goodness no. You don't have to be so serious all the time. Honestly Xerina, you really must loosen up a bit. It's no wonder you haven't found a boyfriend yet. But in any event, it's clear that your cover has been blown. However, since we're here...I hereby grant you permission to take out the trash. You have the authorization to use your full power."

"You have my thanks." Xerina's hand grasped her blade and slowly drew it from its large sheath from behind her back, revealing the giant blue and yellow blade. Good, fighting without her blade was a handicap she didn't care much for. But now that she had permission...She could finally put an end to this nonsense.

The members of Dark Stallion weren't impressed, the same man from before speaking up. "Oh no, she has a giant sword? Whatever shall we do!? Please lady, it's about 100 of us against one of you. Do you really think something like that is going to make a difference?"

She said nothing as she raised the giant weapon high into the air. Alright then. Time to separate the warrior's...from the fodder.

She swung her blade and what followed was a powerful force of wind that sent everyone before her high into the air before they came crashing down, leaving only Xerina standing. Just like I thought. Not a single true warrior among them. Here I was hoping I could at least get in a little exercise.

However, just as she was about to contact her guild master about the situation, she noticed someone from behind her slowly beginning to make it up to his feet. His skin didn't look normal, rather it looked much more as if it was made of rock! He slowly dusted himself off as she continued to look at him. Well now, at least one of them might make for a proper warm-up.

"Tough little lady aren't ya?" The man said as he slowly creaked his neck. "I'll admit, you're much stronger than me and my boys gave you credit for, but I'm not the toughest in the guild for nothing. My Rock Body magic makes me practically invulnerable to anything. It's about 20 times more durable than steel! Your wind magic may be strong, but if that's the best you can do, then this won't take long at all."

He slowly began to make his way towards her, his face full of confidence, but Xerina merely stared back at him. "So you think that victory is guaranteed after you get up after such a display? It seems you're hardly better than the rest of your guild after all."

"You talk tough shit for a lady who just saw her magic do jack shit to her opponent." He said with a grin. "Face it, sweetie, your wind magic can't hurt me."

However, to his surprise, Xerina let out a small smile of her own. "You idiot. That wasn't wind magic. That was just the force of my sword. A practice swing if you want to be more accurate."

The man stopped walking, his eyes slowly widening. "No way! You're-You're bluffing!"

"Am I?" She answered as her sword then began to glow a radiant gold, a large pillar of energy erupting from her as she prepared to swing her sword once more. "But if you're so confident that you can handle my magic...Then let's put your rock body magic to the test, shall we?"

Pulling her blade back, she soon swung it forward, a large torrent of golden energy coming from her blade, enveloping her enemy and a great deal of the land behind him. "Sacra Esplosione!"

A bright flash of light could be seen from miles away, Tree's shook and snapped, the ground quaked slightly and when the dust settled not only was the last mage of Dark Stallion on the ground, unconscious, but the half of the large fortress behind him had been wiped completely off the map. The bottom portion looked just as it had before with strong stone bricks being used as the main foundations, but the upper half…. It was as if it never existed. Even some of the mountain that was a few miles away didn't come out unscathed, the very top having been blown clear off.

Proud of her work, Xerina smiled before realizing just what she had done. "Oh Crud. I went overboard again didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." She could practically hear her guild master sighing in annoyance before she continued. "But there's nothing you need to be concerned about. Maria told me that she and the guild master live down below in a fortified cellar in one of her reports. He's a rather...precautious individual according to her. It's more than likely what I seek lies there."

"Shall I proceed with the mission?" Xerina asked.

"No need. You've done quite enough. I'm quite certain that most of the rabble was taken care of. You can return to the ship now. I'll handle the rest. This will require a more...delicate approach."

With a simple teleportation spell, the two female mages changed spots, the proud guild master of Celestial Blade heading towards what she had hoped would be just the information she was searching for.

In all honesty, I hadn't expected we would find something so soon. Either the traitor I've been searching is getting sloppy...or they're about to plan something big. Dark guilds all over Fiore have been acting out far more than usual...As if to distract us from something else. Whatever the case is, I'll have my answer soon enough.

Heading down into the cellar, Meifon Long was met with minimal resistance. As she had expected, Xerina had taken care of the bulk of Dark Stallion forces. The few mages that had decided to hold themselves down below fell with ease. That suited her just fine. She had a schedule to keep after all.

Finally, she had stopped in front of what appeared to be a steel-reinforced door. Surrounding the door on the walls were all kinds of Lacrima, no doubt put in placed to give the door some kind of magical enchantment. No doubt to protect the one inside from any powerful magic. She smirked as she placed her hand on the hard metal.

Well well well, a rather fortified last-ditch defense if I have to say so myself. It would be impossible for some run of the mill mage. For me, however-

"Child's play."

By merely pointing her index finger at the door, a small beam, purple in color, fired out, piercing through the magical barrier that appeared to try to stop the attack and through the door itself. After making a circular motion with her hand, a large hole was cut through, leaving her more than enough room to waltz right on in. "Hello, is anyone home? Sorry for just barging right in, terrible manners I know. I would have knocked...but I somehow doubt you're in a chatting mood."

There were only two people in the room at the moment. One was a man with a short beard and yellow hair with some sort of armor, The other was a beautiful woman with long dark hair with an ahoge, brown eyes and wore rather tight spandex that clung to her body.

"You! How did you get in here!?" The man asked.

"Weren't you paying attention? I let myself in." Meifon answered. "I take it you're the guild master?"

"S-so what if I am? Do you honestly think I'm going to just let you waltz on in here and take me away!? I don't care if you are a wizard saint, I won't go down without a figh-"

The guild master didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, the woman behind him having struck him from behind with her right foot, her leg currently extending all the way across the room. The limb slowly returned to its normal length as the guild master fell to the floor, unconscious. "God, I've been wanting to do that for such a long time. You would not believe how many times he boasted over and over about how unmatched and he amazing he was. What a load."

"It's good to see you're still in high spirits as ever, Maria."

Maria Grimmer was a former dark mage who used to work directly under one of the many guilds controlled by Orracion Seis. After having been abandoned by her allies after a mission gone horribly wrong, the former criminal was soon found by Meifon who offered her a deal. A full pardon and membership to Celestial Blade, so long as she acted as her informant. Needless to say, Maria had agreed to her terms and had dutifully served her since.

"As high as they can be in a dump like this," Maria said with a roll of her eyes. "Well, anyways, you're not here for ideal chit chat I'm sure. You're here for something of actual value."

"Is it true then?" Meifon asked. "You finally found a connection to the magic council?"

"Yeah. As I said, that dumbass of a guild master gloats far more than he should when I get flirty enough. He's been getting instructions from within the council for where he needed to send some extra muscle. Something about causing a huge ruckus for something "big"."

"Well, all this hearsay is great, but did he ever give you a name?" Meifon asked as she looked down at the unconscious guild master.

"I'm afraid not. He had loose lips, but not that loose. But I do have something more...Substantial."

Maria slowly strode away from Meifon and over to a nearby vault. "He keeps a special communication Lacrima inside of this safe. It's used only for talking with his special contact. I may not have heard the conversations myself, but if I give you this..."

"Then we can look back on any of the previous conversations the two have had," Meifon said with a smile. This was just what she needed. Voice manipulation magic and communication larcima didn't mix well, almost always resulting in a garbled mess. If the two parties wanted to have a proper discussion, it was simply out of the question. Even if you disguise yourself to hide your appearance, I'll be more than capable of narrowing down my results with your voice alone.

Firing a small laser from her finger, Meifon quickly cut a hole into the safe. Maria reached in and grabbed the magical orb quickly, about to show it to Meifon with a large smile. "And with that, I can leave this place and stay at a real home."

Meifon however quickly noticed something. A small part of the Lacrima was beginning to blink. At first, she thought it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but as the blinking continued, her eyes widened. "Maria, throw it away right now!" Not sure what the wizard saint was telling her to do, Maria quickly followed her orders regardless and threw the Lacrima to the other side of the room, running behind Meifon as it crashed into the wall. A large explosion soon erupted from the orb and consumed the entire room. As the smoke slowly cleared, the two women stood unharmed, though this was largely in part due to the large purple barrier made of magic that Meifon had managed to rise up at just the last second.

Self-destruct? Damn it all, that was careless. He must have placed a spell that would destroy the orb if someone other than himself touched it. I should have been the one to grab it myself. If I had, I may have noticed and taken the necessary precautions.

"Ugh, I can't believe that jackass actually pulled a stunt like that," Maria said angrily. "Damn it, weeks of hanging out with these lecherous assholes and shitty food, all for nothing!"

"Not quite," Meifon said as she walked over to the source of the explosion. "We still managed to disband Dark Stallion. That in itself was more than worth the time we spent coming here. Besides..." She bent down then and moved her hand about on the floor. Finally, she stopped and picked up a few small shards of the destroyed Lacrima. "We still have these."

"You honestly think you're going to get anything useful out of that?" Maria asked.

"It's possible. The information stored within may have been fragmented, but if I can hear the voice of the traitor, even for just a moment...It'll be a huge step forward to resolving this mystery."

"Why not just ask this jackass here?" Maria asked as she picked up the unconscious guild master. "I'm sure he'll blab if we make him talk."

"I doubt that. If someone from the magic council decided to use this man for their work, it means that they trusted them to keep their mouths shut. A glory hound and chatterbox he may have been to your advances, but he seemed to know when to keep quiet. Any information we would get out of them would more than likely be nothing more than a red herring. " Meifon told her.

The Wizard Saint sighed then. "Furthermore, even if we were to acquire accurate information, it would be the word of a dark mage against that of a respected member of the magic council. No, if I'm to get any real results, I need solid evidence." Meifon then looked at Maria. "In any event, your current assignment is now over. Take this time to relax. I'll need your services again in the future."

"Yeah yeah yeah, former dark mages work is never done," Maria said before she smirked. "But that's fair enough I suppose. Well, I'm going to go crash at a 5-star hotel or some kinda fancy shit. You gonna go out and kick more ass for truth and justice some more today?"

Meifon chuckled for a moment before answering. "No, not quite. I have something special planned for today. I'm meeting with someone special that I haven't seen in quite some time."

"Oh, your fiancé?" Maria asked with a grin. "I know he's always busy with all kinds of crazy adventures."

"No not Serena," Meifon said with a smile of her own. "I'm going to reunite with...my successor."

She could still remember the day she first met her quite clearly, 8 years ago.


X776

"I can't believe how incompetent those two fools are! I swear if anything happens to her before I get there those two are going to wish the beatdown I gave them earlier is all their going to get!"

Meifon Long, then S class member of Fairy Tail, was not in a particularly good mood at the moment. Apparently, a relatively new member of the guild, only 11 years old who had joined while Meifon was away, had taken on a B class mission by herself with no supervision to speak of. The mission she was charged with? Vulcan slaying.

Maco and Wakaba, the mages Master Makarov had left in charge during his absence for the guild master conference, apparently let her go without asking what mission she was going on! They assured her that she was overreacting, that the little girl was rather gifted with magic, but in her mind, that was no excuse! She hadn't even been in the guild for a month and they were allowing her to take on B class monsters!? Not to mention the two had clearly drunk more than enough alcohol to affect their judgment if the smell and empty glasses nearby were anything to go by.

Having given the two of them a piece of her mind (and a black eye each) she was just about to enter a clearing into the forest she had wandered into. This was where the vulgar creatures called home. To say she was nervous was an understatement. For all she knew, she was about to find the bloody corpse of a young girl, her life taken far too soon.

However, as the Vulcan habitat came into view, her eyes widened. What she saw were indeed bloody corpses...but not of the one she had been concerned for. Rather, she could count at least 5 Vulcans lying in a pool of their own blood, their bodies missing large chunks of flesh and even missing limbs.

Meifon had initially assumed that this had to have been the work of a much stronger creature, but to her shock and awe, the culprit was none other than a small red-headed child, no doubt the one she had come to save. With a rapier in hand, she thrust her sword into the chest of the last remaining Vulcan, the creature letting out one last groan of pain before she withdrew her blade, the beast collapsing to the ground. Meifon could hardly believe her eyes. She's only been in the guild for a few weeks. For someone her age and experience to be capable of something like this...Who is she?

The little girl swung her sword to the ground, the last bit of blood from the Vulcan having been shaken off. Slowly she began to sheath her weapon when she could hear the sound of applause. Turning around to the direction of the noise, she noticed a young woman clapping her hands with a smile on her face. "Bravo. Truly, a performance worthy of one who bears a mark of Fairy Tail."

The young girl gave her a questioning look before she called out to her. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me," Meifon said before she showed the young mage her purple guild mark on her right hand. "I'm a member of Fairy Tail, just like you. I must say, I'm very impressed by your performance here. Tell me, what's your name?"

"It's Erza Scarlet." Blunt and to the point, Erza answered the question before she began to walk over to her.

"Well Erza, it's rare to find someone with such raw talent and ability at your age. Usually, mages don't become as strong as you are till they hit their mid-teens to early twenties," Meifon said to her. "But, I must ask...Why did you come here all by yourself?"

"I didn't need anyone's help," Erza said as she continued to walk past Meifon. "They would have just held me back."

"Oh my, quite the confident one aren't we?" Meifon said as she followed behind her. "But you know that if something had gone wrong, you may have been in some serious trouble."

"As I told you before, I don't need anyone's help," Erza repeated as she continued to keep on walking. Now frowning, Meifon began to walk faster and soon got in front of her. As she got a good look at Erza's face, she could see a stone-cold face, showing no hint of emotion as she stopped before her. Meifon knew that look all too well...It was just like the one she used to see in the mirror when her parents died.

"What are you doing?" Erza asked. "Move."

"No, I don't think I will be," Meifon said before she knelt down. "I can tell by that look in your face. Your eyes...you've been through quite a bit haven't you?"

"And so what if I have?" Erza replied the young mage not in the mood for meaningless chit chat.

Meifon sighed. She seemed to be quite stubborn. "Well, I may not know exactly what you went through...But I do understand the kind of pain you're going through right now. You're afraid of opening up to people because you're afraid that you'll be hurt again."

Erza said nothing and tried to walk around Meifon, but she felt a hand on her right shoulder. "I don't know if you lost someone important to you...Or if you were betrayed..but you can't hope to continue living your life like this. Fairy tail isn't just a guild...It's a family."

"A family?" The young girl asked as she looked at Meifon.

"I know that it sounds a bit far-fetched to believe...But it's the truth. Many people from Fairy Tail have experienced some sort of hardship or another. The loss of their family. Their entire town is destroyed by a ravaging monster, dark guild's running amuck causing all sorts of chaos...We all have our own burdens and misfortunes...But Fairy Tail is a fresh start. A new beginning for all of us. We support each other and lend our hands to any of our members who fall. No matter how dark it gets...The guildhall tends to act as a ray of light to a shining future."

"I know..." Erza whispered, looking down to the ground as she closed her eyes. "Grandpa Rob would tell me such wondrous stories of the guild. And Master Makarov and Lady Porlyusica have been so kind. But... my heart needs to remain on its own. I can't get too close. I don't want to...lose anyone else." Erza closed her eyes then as the memories of her past once again came to her mind. She knew that this wasn't right. That she should listen to what Grey told her and to move on...but that didn't make the task any easier.

A sudde realization then struck the S class wizard.

Wait a moment...Is this the girl that Rob gave his life away to save? Meifon thought as she now looked at Erza in a whole new light. She had learned through one of Makarov's letters that Rob had passed on, all so he could allow for one of the slaves at the many towers of heaven to escape. Rob had been very kind to her in the time she had been in the guild. For him to have given up his life for this girl...He must have seen something in her that Meifon had yet to.

To spend so many years of your childhood as a slave and to watch someone who you loved die before your very eyes...No wonder she's too afraid to make new connections...Even so-

"I understand what you're going through," Meifon said as she knelt down to get to Erza's eye level. "I lost my whole family a few years ago. When I saw their bodies, I felt...empty. Like nothing else in the world mattered. That no one could possibly understand the pain I was going through. So many people claimed that I was lucky to have survived and to have inherited so much money...But no amount of Jewel could heal the hole in my heart that my parent's death left in me."

Meifon smiled before she continued. "But my father was an old friend of Makarov's, just like Rob...and he offered me a place to stay once he found the orphanage I had been sent to. He gave me a new family that I could place my trust in...and they haven't left me down since." Her hand went over to Erza's check as she continued. "We can be that second family that helps fill the hole in your heart too...But only if you let us."

Erza stared at Meifon before she lifted her right hand and grabbed the hand that rested on her cheek. "Do you promise that it'll help? That it will make this...pain go away? That I won't lose anyone else?"

Meifon shook her head. "I can't promise you anything, but what I can help you with is protecting your...No, our new family."

Erza stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke once more. "I...I suppose I'll give it a chance."

"Good. Now, let's get you back home. I'm sure everyone that isn't those two drunken dullards is worried sick about you."


It seemed like forever ago since that fateful day. The wizard saint couldn't help but smile at the fond memory as she and her informant were soon teleported back inside of her floating airship, the Sunraiser. She couldn't wait to see her once again...and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Erza felt the same way.

It's been far too long since my last meeting with Erza. I can't wait to see just how much stronger you've gotten...As well as that Quincy Syplhial is so fond of.


"Achoo!" Bambietta quickly whipped her nose with a tissue, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "That's weird. I didn't feel sick at all last night."

"Maybe someone was talking about you," Lucy said as she walked out of her room clad in her white and blue shirt and short skirt. She had a very important mission she was going on soon, and it required her to get to the train station in the next town as soon as it opened. Bambietta didn't know the exact details, but Lucy had let her know that the pay was quite large, and some of it would be going to their next date. Still, she wasn't really used to seeing her girlfriend as she prepared for her training with Erza. Usually, she and Rukia were the only ones up so early in the morning.

"Oh come on Lucy, that's just a superstition...Unless this place has some really weird magic I don't know about," Bambietta retorted. "Anyways, are you sure you're going to be fine on your own?"

"I can take care of myself just fine Bambi," Lucy told her as she walked over to the front door. "I know I'm not quite as strong as you or Natsu, but I can more than hold my own in a fight or two."

"I know, I know," Bambietta responded before she sighed. "I just...Don't want you to get hurt. I mean, I know you're strong and all, but if anyone gets past your spirits what are you going to do then?"

"She has more than enough power to last long enough if such a thing were to occur," Rukia said as she emerged from the closet. "It's perfectly natural for you to be a bit worried about her, but you need to relax. If you go train with Erza while you're distracted-"

"She'll kick my ass, I know," Bambietta said before she groaned. The last time she fought Erza when her mind was elsewhere the scarlet haired mage soundly defeated her in their sparring match...Faster than usual anyways. "That's not a pain, or lecture I want to go through again."

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard from the redhead in a while, the S class wizard having gone on a week-long mission to deal with a powerful team of monsters, taking Liltotto with her as some sort of back up. However, she was supposed to be back this morning and Bambietta had no doubt that Erza was still waiting for her at the training grounds. She heard Lucy let out a squeal of happiness then as she turned around, the blonde holding a package of some sort. "Ok, I'll bite, what book did you get this time?"

"It's not a book," Lucy said with a large smile on her face as she placed the box down on the kitchen table. Slowly she opened it up with a glimmer in her eyes. "Dad told me that he was sending over something I haven't seen in years, it'll be great to finally have it home!"

Bambietta's eyebrow raised slightly as she heard the news. Lucy and her father truly had managed to patch things up rather smoothly despite her interrupting her girlfriend's passionate speech to her father after the Phantom Lord incident. Jude had since done what he could to make amends, helping Fairy Tail with any and all costs that were associated with the incident and was apparently in talks with Makarov with improving the guildhall. He had wanted to help out Lucy with her rent as well, but she had refused his kind offer, wanting to see if she could make a living on her own.

"So what's in the Box then? A really nice family portrait? A special Celestial Spirit that you left back home? A really fancy dress?" Bambietta asked.

"Nope, nope, and nope," Lucy said as she finally removed all of the decorative wrappings and opened the box. "It's not something that's inherently expensive or anything like that, this is something that's of more...Sentimental value." Finally reaching in, Lucy pulled out...A doll. Blonde hair, a single blue eye with the other covered by a rose and a fancy pink dress, it didn't look like anything special though, for some strange reason, Bambietta could sense something was...different about it. She couldn't quite place what just yet, but it was as if it had some sort of...life to it. "Me and Gonzales here go way back. Out of all the gifts I ever got from my mom, she was easily my favorite."

Right there and then, it suddenly all came together for Bambietta. A gift from your mom huh? That explains why you were so excited. Bambietta could sympathize, at least a little bit. Her father wasn't exactly keen on birthdays, in fact, he never bothered to attend a single one of hers back in the day. She hadn't earned the right for him to care back then as he would put it. She could still remember her father talking to her mother about it.

Until she proves her worth to me, I see no reason why I need to spend my valuable time on such trivial matters. You want me to see her on her birthday Libe? Then raise her up strong. Ensure that she is worthy of your family name. Her brother Joshua has already done so...See to it that she doesn't disappoint me like those other failures we've disposed of.

She shuddered as his words faded into her head, her hand moving to her left breast and clenched it, specifically her badge, a heart with golden wings. Her father may not have given her anything, but her mother had. This badge that she always wore, was the first and only gift her mother had been able to give to her. If I lost this...I don't know what I would do. She looked at Lucy and smiled then. "Well, I'm glad that you're able to get her back. Did you play with her a lot?"

"Oh, I did more than that," Lucy said as she stood next to her girlfriends and looked at Gonzales. "When I was really little, I used to treat her like she was my younger sister. We were practically family. I used to spend all of my free time with her as much as I could. We had tea parties, went on adventures in my family's garden, all kinds of fun things!"

"Sounds like you had fun," Bambietta said as she then began to look at the doll, her eyes staring into its single blue eye. "So what happened? Did you just forget to bring it with you?"

"No...It's a bit more complicated than that," Lucy said as she then frowned. "When my Mom died, whenever I looked at Gonzales...I was always just reminded of what I lost. So I started to play with her less and less until...I just didn't use her anymore."

She then looked over to Bambietta and grabbed her hand. "But ever since I've come to Fairy Tail and met you, I feel like that pain's gone away now. Especially now that I managed to work things out with my father, so I'm really glad that she's here now." She leaned forward and kissed Bambietta on the cheek. "So thanks for that Bambi."

"Oh don't worry about thanking me," Bambietta said as she gave Lucy's hand a slight squeeze. "We've both been there for each other when we've really needed it. That's what couples do right?"

"Yeah, it is," Lucy said before she looked at the clock. It was almost 5:30 am. "Well, I gotta get going if I'm going to make it to the station on time. Good luck with your training Bambi."

"Thanks, Lucy, I'm gonna need it."

With that Lucy went for the door, giving Bambietta one last smile before she closed the door. Bambietta and Rukia looked at each other almost instantly before they looked back at the doll. "You sensed it too, didn't you?" Bambietta said as she walked over to the shelf where the toy stood.

"Yes, that doll, it's very small, but I can sense some spiritual pressure emanating from it," Rukia said as she soon joined Bambietta standing right in front of it. "There's no doubt about it...It's fullbring."

"A fullbring? I thought you could only get that if your mother was attacked by a hollow or something like that." Bambietta said as she looked at Rukia. "And last I checked, no one in this world even knows what those are. I just thought the one I killed in Clovertown was a freak occurance."

"It is possible, though rare, for humans to obtain fullbring without their mothers being attacked by hollows," Rukia stated. "But that's not even accounting for how Magic works in this world. It's possible that Lucy was seeping her own magic into the doll while she had it, or perhaps it was a hollow attack. Regardless of which, there's no doubt that if it stays in this household for long, it'll activate.."

"You think it could be a threat?" Bambietta asked. She knew of a few times when a fullbring could go out of control and end up hurting its own wielder, or worse. She groaned in annoyance. "Ugh, I really don't need to be worrying about this right now before we go to see Erza."

"I don't think it's anything to worry about," Rukia said as she looked at the doll once more. "As long as it grows naturally and the progress isn't rushed, everything should turn out just fine. It could prove to be quite a valuable assist in battle actually. However, just to be safe that this is the case, I think it would be wise if we kept this between the two of us."

"That's fine by me. The last thing I want is for Lucy to be hounding me with a bunch of questions I really don't know the answer to." Bambietta said before she gave Rukia a smirk. "Anyways, that's enough about Fullbring's. I have a sparring record I intend to improve."


Making headway to their sparring grounds, Bambietta and Rukia found themselves slightly disappointed, as well as confused to find themselves appearing before Erza had. She had always made it a point to be punctual. Still, things like this could happen and odds were she was only running a few minutes late.

However, after waiting for around 10 minutes, Bambietta had enough. Feeling that Erza wouldn't be this late unless it was for a good reason, Bambietta searched out for Erza's spiritual reiatsu. Sensing it a few miles out of Magnolia, and with Liltotto's own reiatsu near the Titania's, Bambietta and Rukia decided it would be best to go straight to them instead for answers. Using flashstep and hirenkyaku, they soon quickly closed in on their location.

"Ah, there you two are!" Bambietta said as she and Rukia appeared right in front of them. "I was getting a bit worried when you were running late."

"Running late?" Erza asked, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean? Didn't you get my letter?"

"Yeah, she sent it to you several days ago, you should have gotten it by now," Liltotto said.

Rukia merely turned her head and looked at Bambietta with a look of irritation. "You haven't looked at your mail this week have you?"

"Yes!...Maybe...Ok no, no I didn't," Bambietta said as her head fell low and her shoulders slumped. You mean I actually could have slept in and got some proper sleep? GAH! stupid, stupid, stupid! She quickly shook her head however, the quincy not wanting to let herself look foolish for very long. "Well, I guess that one's on me. Still, what are the two of you doing all the way out here? You're nowhere near Magnolia."

"Well, if you had read her letter, you would know Erza's going out to meet with her personal blacksmith," Liltotto told her friend. "Something about giving Erza some considerable upgrades or something like that."

"Not just that," Erza said with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I'm more than looking forward to seeing the new armors I'll have available to me, but I'm also going to be seeing three close friends of mine. One of them is the blacksmith Liltotto just mentioned, and another is an old friend who I met while we trained under the same master, while the last one...Well, I suppose it would be best to call her my mentor."

"Your mentor!?" Bambietta said with her eyes widening in shock. "You...You mean...She's the one who taught you how to use the sword?!"

"No, nothing like that," Erza said as she shook her head as she walked forward. "I was taught the basics of the sword by someone else, and then everything I've learned since then has been my own style. No, she didn't train me much...But she helped me with something more important...My family."

Not sure how to take what she said, Bambietta decided to press on as she and the others began to follow in Erza's direction. "I see. So was she strong?"

"She was the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail before I defeated her in a hard-fought battle on Tenrou Island," Erza said as she glanced over to Bambietta. "It was how I became an S class wizard actually. I haven't seen her fight in two years, but given what I know about her, I have no doubt that she's still a considerably powerful wizard."

"Well then, consider me hyped," Bambietta said with a grin. "Can I come along? Please? It's not like I got anything else going on."

"Well, I had planned on this being a rather small gathering," Erza said as she took a moment to think about it. "But, since you and Rukia are, in a way, being mentored by myself, much like she did with me, I suppose it would be more than fine to bring you along. Besides-" Erza then looked Bambietta right in the eyes. "She has expressed a great deal of interest in you."

"Me?" Bambietta asked as she pointed at herself. Oooooook. That's...kinda concerning. Still, she wouldn't let this detract from her wanting to see the woman Erza thought so fondly of. Bambietta then looked over to Liltotto. "So why did she get to come before the rest of us?"

"Because I was already with her when she got the message," Liltotto answered before she smiled. And because I want to see this blacksmith for myself.

"It was also because she's also going to be taking the S class exams soon," Erza added. "Though at the rate you're going Bambietta, you'll soon be joining her." She then looked over to Rukia. "Will you be coming along as well? It's a far walk."

"I must admit, I am a bit...curious," Rukia said before she smiled. "Go ahead, lead the way."


After hours of walking and a few "Are we there yet?"s from Bambietta, the fairy tail wizards had finally arrived at their destination. Looking down from a hill, the 4 could see a small house with a water wheel attached to it and a nearby river. Bambietta narrowed her eyes in disappointment. "This is the place where you get all of your awesome swords and armor? I mean, it's a nice house, I won't deny that but...It doesn't look any different from a normal home besides that waterwheel. I was expecting something over the top, like a huge castle or something!"

Erza chuckled as she placed a hand on Bambietta's shoulder. "Looks can be quite deceiving at times Bambietta. I know it's not exactly what you were expecting, but...well, I think it'll be better for you to see it first hand why this place is so special instead of simply taking my word for it."

"I think that's going to have to wait. We have company," Liltotto commented as she pointed off to the left of the house. Emerging from the forest, they could see a dozen or so giant men heading towards their destination. Appearing to be at least 50 feet tall and carrying almost as large swords, axes, and shields. "Seems like they have business with your friend as well."

"Giants," Erza said as she looked at the approaching threat. In most circumstances, Humans and Giant's got along rather well. Disputes and conflicts were rare and usually, peace would ultimately win out. However, some giants were of the belief that their species were far superior to humans and used their overwhelming magic and strength to plunder villages for their food and gold. Given their rugged appearance, as well as the weapons they were carrying, it was clear to the S class wizard that something was about to go down. She believed she recognized the giant leading the charge too. Bald with a medium-sized black beard and several scars across his face, Erza was positive she knew who this was. "Nibaw Wysoki. He's a former Giant lord who was banished from his clan after committing several crimes against mankind."

"What kind of crimes?" Bambietta asked with curiosity.

"The murder of several mages, theft, arson and the destruction of 2 guilds. He's considered an S class level threat," Erza answered.

"...He seems nice." Liltotto chimed in.

Finally stopping his approach, Nibaw shouted out in the direction of the Blacksmith's home. "Alright Miss Heartcruze, I've waited long enough! For week's I've sent one of my boys over to get you to make weapons for us, but each time they come back covered in cuts! I thought I'd let you off easy since you're the last elf, but my patience has finally run out! Now you're either going to make me and my boys some of the best weapons you've ever made, or I'm going to use your head as a bead on my necklace!"

"This isn't good," Rukia stated as she had taken the time to get a gauge on the giant's spiritual pressure. "All of these giants are considerably powerful," Looking back to Erza, Rukia began to draw out her zanpaktou. "We have to act now, if we don't, your friend will surely be caught in the crossfire of our battle!"

Bambietta seemingly agreed as her sword formed in her right hand. "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Finally some action!"

Erza, however, didn't look worried at all. In fact, she smiled. "Your desire to help her out is appreciated, but not necessary. I suggest we just sit back and watch what happens."

"Um, excuse you?!" Bambietta yelled. "I think we've heard more than enough! He's going to rip your friend's head off if we don't act!"

"Bambietta's right," Rukia replied. "If we don't act quickly,-"

It was in that moment however when the quincy and soul reaper felt it. Two large spiritual pressures, both of them coming from none other than the house in the center of all the action. The door slowly opened, revealing two women. One had Long orangish-brown hair and brown eyes. Her spiritual pressure was fairly large, about equal to Erza's own in most of her armors.

The other woman had short pink hair and eyes, freckles and was a bit shorter than her companion. However, her spiritual pressure was in a different league all its own. Large, intense...Powerful.

That woman...her spiritual pressure is practically on par with a Captain's! Rukia thought as her eyes widened. Just how many people would she run into this world with powers on par with the Gotie's elite!? It was insane!

"Boy, you sure do like to hear the sound of your own voice don't you?" The pink-haired woman asked as she slowly walked over to the giant, her hands on her hips. "I could hear you from all the way downstairs. Don't you know it's more polite to knock instead of screaming your demands? Honestly, I know the saying is that the customer is always right, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be rude." She frowned, clearly not intimidated by the threats from the Giant.

"I'm rude!? You're the one who keeps sending my boy's back to me all cut up!" Nibaw yelled at her.

"Actually, that was Yuuki's doing, not mine," The pink-haired woman retorted as she pointed to her friend. "I was too busy working on something that was actually worth my time." She then gave the giant a sly grin. "She filled me in on the details though...and I'm not interested."

"Is the money I've offered not enough? I can easily-" The giant began to speak, but the pink-haired woman raised her hand, interrupting him.

"Money isn't the concern. My pride, however, is," She frowned again before she continued. "It's true that I make weapons for anybody, but I refuse to have my life's work be used for the sake of crime and bigotry. You Nibaw, aren't worthy of my craftsmanship."

"Not worthy!?" Nibaw yelled at her. "Do you know who you're talking to!? I served honorably in the great Giant army! I am one of the strongest giants to have ever been born, while you are-"

All the while, the pink-haired woman couldn't help but roll her eyes. Oh, terrific, another long-winded villain speech. Truly how I wanted to start my morning.

"Yes, you're so great and powerful, surely someone like little old me couldn't possibly hold a candle to your power." She replied sarcastically. "But as much as I'm enjoying listening to this cliched speech of yours, which could no doubt go on till the end of the world, I literally have a million better things to do."

Rage now overcoming his face, Nibaw began to slowly draw the large sword from his back. "That's it, I will not be insulted by some low born elf filth! You will die here and now by my hand!"

However, if she was intimidated whatsoever, she didn't show it. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at his massive sword, almost the size of a bus. It was curved and made out of some kind of metal, but it was slightly chipped around the blade. She couldn't help but scoff at his threat. "That's your weapon? Really? All it has going for it is the size. Not to mention how it's chipped all over...you've never bothered to get it repaired even once have you?"

She jumped backward then, the giant swinging his massive blade at her. Again and again, he tried to strike at her, but with it was clear he had no true skill of finesse. Each strike failed to make contact, the chipped metal always seemed just a few inches away from her head. Anyone else might have had a focused, or more concerned appearance, but it seemed to Bambietta that Elizabeth looked more annoyed than anything, her expression not having a hint of fear.

The Elf dodged to the right then as the sword barely missed her once more. "Is that a club or a sword? Tell me, do you have any kind of formal training? I've seen 12-year-olds with more skill than what you've shown me."

"SILENCE!" Nibaw yelled out before he swung his sword down to her left side.

Somersaulting over the massive blade, she landed on one foot, a broadsword with a black handle and gold hilt now in her right hand. "Well' as fun as a workout this has been, I think it's time we put an end to this little charade. A C-class sword will more than suffice against what you've shown me.."

"C-class? What's she mean by that?" Bambietta asked as she looked over to Erza.

"Elizabeth tends to place her weapons in classes based on how powerful she deems them to be," Erza replied as she watched the battle intensely. "All of my weapons are at least C-class in nature. Regular swords are merely considered E-class by her standards, D-class being weapons that have just the slightest bit of magic in them and are sharper than any non magical blade, while C-class...well-" She looked to Bambietta then and gave her a small smile. "How's about I just let her demonstrate?"

Nibaw looked at the weapon in her hand and began to laugh. "You think you can defeat me with something like that? It doesn't even begin to hold a candle to my blade! I'll crush it, and you in one blow!"

"Really?" Elizabeth remarked before she grinned. "I see. Tell you what, see this spot?" She pointed to the ground with her sword before she continued. "I won't move from it. So go ahead, Giant Lord'...Hit me with your best."

Seeing the grand opportunity she was presenting him, Nibaw ran over and charged where the elf stood. He jumped into the air, his blade held high before he came crashing down onto her as she raised her blade to defend. A loud 'CLANG!' was heard before dust and debris filled the air, preventing anyone from seeing just what had transpired. Twenty or so seconds passed until finally, the air was clear for all to see.

Just as she proclaimed, Elizabeth remained completely in place, her blade still intact and in one piece. The same could not be said for Nibaw's blade however, the giant metal sword now cut in half and a horrible slash now running up his arm. Nibaw screamed in pain as he backed away, dropping his blade before he looked back at her in shock.

"But...But...How!? The boss's weapon should have crushed you!" One of his underlings yelled.

Elizabeth smirked as she looked over to the crowd of giants. "If this was a normal sword you would be right, my blade would have snapped like a twig. But that's the thing about magic, it can make the impossible possible. In this case, my sword's magical abilities simply allowed me to cut through his blade like it was nothing but butter. Battle's with magical swords aren't just decided by physical might, but more often than not, the magic within, the material that is used and most importantly of all...the wielder." She looked over to Nibaw once more as she frowned. "If you don't know that much about magical weapons, then you never would have had what it took to draw out their full potential."

Growling with rage, he began to glow with some kind of brown energy. "FINE! IF MY SWORD WON'T BE ENOUGH TO CRUSH YOU, THEN FEEL THE POWER OF MY MAGICAL-GUH!"

One only simply needed to luck down to see what had transpired. Elizabeth had punched the giant square in the stomach, her look of annoyance returning to her face. "Yeah, no thanks. Like I said before, I literally have a million better things to do."

Nibaw let out one more grunt of pain before he fell over to the ground, falling face-first into the dirt.

Dusting her hands off, Elizabeth slowly raised her head up before her eyes made contact with the mages up on the hill. "Oh, Erza, you're already here! I'll be with you in just a bit, I just need to finish taking out some trash first!"

The other giants didn't take well to that.

"Trash!?"

"Is she referring to us!?"

"She's mad if she thinks she can take on all of us! GET HER!"

Running and yelling at the top of their lungs, the giants began to descend on Elizabeth. However, to the surprise of them all, she simply turned her back to them as she began to head back to her home. "Yuuki, I'm going to contact the magic council to pick up these troublemakers. I trust you can handle this?"

"With pleasure," Yuuki said before she drew out her rapier and began to approach the horde of giants.

Bambietta watched her intently, wondering just what it was she was going to do. She kept her eye's glued on her...and then she was gone!

"GAHHHH!"

Looking over to where the giants were a mere moment ago, Bambietta's eyes widened as she saw Yuuki before them, slowly sheathing her blade as they fell to the ground, the giant's covered in slashes and cuts all over their bodies. "I...She...What!? I didn't even see her move!"

"As to be expected," Erza said as she smiled. "Yuuki the Flash Blade is considered to be one of the fastest wizards in all of Fiore. I suspect even Laxus would have a hard time dealing with her speed."

"That's...insane," Bambietta said as she looked at Erza. "You know her?"

"I told you about her earlier. We learned how to use the sword under the same master. She was the only other person I learned with."

"Jezz, and what about her?" Bambietta asked as she pointed to Elizabeth as she closed the door. "There is no way I'm going to buy that's just some blacksmith!"

"Oh, I suppose I didn't tell you did I? She may be my personal blacksmith, but she's also one of the Ten wizard saints." Erza said as she began to make her way down the hill.

"ONE OF THE SAINTS!?" Bambietta gasped as she stared down at the house. "Well...That explains a lot."

"From what I've heard, they're supposedly the equivalent of the Gotie's Captains in this country. I thought what Liltotto had told me about them was slightly exaggerated but...I see now that her claims were true after all," Rukia said as she placed a hand on Bmabietta's shoulder. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting."

"Y-yeah." Bambietta thought to herself as she began to follow the others inside. The scary thing is...I don't think we've seen her get even remotely serious.


The first floor wasn't anything special. If anything it was about what Bambietta had expected. Just some brick walls with windows, a wooden floor, a counter where the transactions no doubt took place and several kinds of weapons hung among the walls and in several display cases. Everything so far had been exactly what Bambietta had been expecting.

The basement, however, was a completely different story. It wasn't what was inside that surprised her, no that was all fairly standard as bellows, furnaces, polishers, and anvils could be found, but rather the sheer size of it. Far as her eye could see, the basement continued to go on for what looked like miles, littered with all kinds of magical weapons she had never seen before.

"Well, this place sure is...Um-"

"It's a bit overwhelming the first time you see it, I know," Erza said as Elizabeth turned around to look at them with a smile.

"Oh Erza, it's been far too long. How have you been?"

"I've been well, thanks to you," Erza answered simply. "Your armor always comes through in a pinch."

Erza's hardened expression and body gave way just a little bit. Bambietta was quick to notice it. It was faint but not unlike how Erza would drop her walls a little back at the guildhall.

"Yes well, I should be thanking you if anything," Elizabeth said before she elbowed Erza on her chest plate. "Thanks to the rumors about you managing to hold off Jose till Makarov arrived, sales have gone up by 20%! Giving you some of my best products is the least I can do for you."

"Honestly, I can't believe how much you've grown since we finished training with Master," Yuuki said. "I never thought you would reach the levels of power you have now. Fighting Jose is no joke."

"No, no it wasn't," Bambietta whispered from behind, a momentary flash of pain crossing her memory. "But... all's well that ends well, right?"

Erza took a deep breath. "We all fought him with everything we had. And fought against a Wizard Saint's magic with the armor made from a fellow Saint. I could not allow himself to give an inch. Neither Fairy Tail nor you, Elizabeth, deserved such dishonor."

"Oh don't you worry about that Erza," Elizabeth said with a grin. "That's why I brought you here! Honestly, if I had known you would have gotten in a fight with Jose, I would have asked you to come here sooner. I've made some considerable upgrades to your arsenal, as well as two new armors. They are...exceptionally powerful.".

"Wait..." Bambietta looked from Erza to Elizabeth and back again... a small handful of times. Finally, she ended by looking at the blacksmith while pointing at Erza. "She's going to be even more powerful?!"

"That she is, much more!" Elizabeth said as she looked at Bambietta. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Elizabeth Heartcruze."

"Basterbine, Bambietta Basterbine," the Quincy said, smirking a bit. She was one step short of following that up with "And I like my elves shaken or stirred." before thinking better of it. For one, she was in a relationship so flirting was out, and two... nobody present would get it. So instead she went for the simpler option. "It's a pleasure."

"Ah, I see. You're that Quincy that Robert talks about from time to time." Elizabeth said. "He talks about you and all the other quincy he trained rather fondly, It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Robert is here?" Liltotto said as she looked over to Bambietta. "Bambi, I..." She wasn't sure what to say to her friend. She had seen the quincy die first hand, but Bambietta...she and Robert went way back.

"Old man... Rob?" Bambietta asked, her eyes going wide. Her expression softened soon enough, the Quincy beginning to wear an honest smile.

"Oh? You didn't know he was alive? Well, that's odd. I would have sworn he would have tried to contact you if he thought you were worried." Elizabeth spoke.

No, knowing Robert...The shame of what happened to us all must have hit him pretty hard. Liltotto thought to herself. She looked over to Bambietta, glad to see that she was happy. "Looks like we have a visit to look forward to down the line."

Bambietta continued to grin. That book... It was you. It all made sense to her now. He was still trying to help them as best he could. She had no doubt that he was guilt-ridden over what had happened, but Bambietta knew she would just have to make a point to snap him out of his funk.

Elizabeth then looked over to the short quincy. "That must mean you're Liltotto. Robert spoke highly of your intelligence. I hear Erza thinks you're S class worthy."

"Supposedly, yeah," Liltotto answered, still not sure how to feel about being recommended for it before anyone else. "Though if I have to go up against her and the others…"

Elizabeth waved her hand. "Oh I'm sure it'll all work out," She reassured the quincy before her attention was turned towards Rukia. "And what about you? "I can tell from your garbs...you're a soul reaper aren't you?"

"Well yes, technically," Rukia said. "I mean I do have a Zanpakuto and all and-"

"Can I see it?!" Elizabeth asked, her eyes sparkling with joy. "I mean, I've already seen Unohana's but I've always wanted to see another. Can I see it? Please?!"

"Wait a minute, Unohanna died!?" Bambietta whispered into Liltottos' ear. "You never told me that!"

Liltotto couldn't help but roll her eyes. "That's because I didn't know either. Honestly, Bambi, it's not like I was everywhere in the war when you died."

"...Fair enough." Bambietta agreed.

"Captain Unohana?" The Reigai of Rukia flinched. What sort of monster could have managed that? Still, she knew that was a question for another time. After all, the ebb and flow of battle was a pathway to unexpected outcomes. She unsheathed her sword then, holding the blade so that it pointed towards the ground. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

Elizabeth's eyes continued to sparkle as she got to her knees getting a closer look at the sword. "Oh...Oh my..." She reached her hand out then, and slowly caressed the blade. "The pure whiteness of the blade and handle. The ribbon...It's...It's...beautiful!" She then looked up at Rukia's face. "And this small yet distinct chill...This is an ice-based Zanpaktou isn't it?"

"Y-Yes..." Rukia was a little taken back by Elizabeth's fondness for her Zanpakuto, the Reigai feeling herself become a little embarrassed. "Yes, though I haven't really reached its full potential yet..."

"Hey, don't be shy!" Bambietta suddenly said, the Quincy butting into the situation. "Tell her how it kept getting voted the prettiest Zanpakuto in all of the Soul Society year after year!"

"Most beautiful," Liltotto piped up.

"Oh, such a shame. I was really hoping I could see the full power of this thing, though as it is, I can tell it would be at least a B rank!" Elizabeth said as she stood up. "The strongest form is Bankai, right? I know it's very rare for soul reapers to obtain the form, but just the thought of seeing what It could look like...the sheer power...Oh, it's just too much to take."

"Eh, give her a few years. Her...identical twin got hers eventually and used it to kill Äs Nödt." Liltotto replied.

"Seriously!?" Bambietta said as her eyes widened. "She was the one who killed Äs Nödt?! With Bankai!? The hell did I miss!?"

"The original obtained a Bankai?" Despite it not being her own accomplishment, the Reigai could not help but smile. Memories of Kaien Shiba and the training they went through came to the forefront of her own. "He'd... be so proud."

Erza was happy to see all of her friends so lively during this visit. Still, she did have pressing matters of her own. "Elizabeth, this armor you speak of..."

Elizabeth blinked for a moment before reality finally caught up with her. "Oh, right of course. Right, this way."

She began to guide the wizards down a hallway where she stopped in front of a mannequin that was wearing what appeared to be Erza's Adamantine armor.

"All of your other armor has been given an increased offensive output. Your adamantine armor, however, I felt needed a bit more than the rest. It should be able to withstand up to attacks stronger than the Jupiter Canon now"

"...Excuse you?" Bambietta said as her eyes widened. Well... If I didn't have my shrift back, that would be a REALLY tall order.

"Of course, I hope that you're aware that this has put quite an extra cost on the armor. I trust this isn't a problem?" Elizabeth asked Erza.

"Of course not," Erza answered. "Your level of craftsmanship and quality is worth every jewel."

"Glad to hear it. Come along now, we have your new armor to look at first."

However as they continued to walk, Bambietta couldn't help but stop as she passed by a Katana of sorts. The word CAUTION caught her attention. "Hey, what gives with this? Can I give it a swing?"

"That...is not for sale," Elizabeth said as she turned around to see what she was looking at. "That's one of the very few SS class weapons I've ever made. Archenemy. I created it after extensively studying Unohana's zanpaktou in all its forms. The result was a blade that could cleave through even adamantine but..."

"There's always a but," Liltotto added.

"It's...far too dangerous for me to give away to just anyone. I used demon fangs and claws to forge this sword...The hatred of those demons still lingers. If someone weak-minded were to control it...there would be a massacre. In any event, I couldn't just hand the weapon over to just anyone. It has to be someone with considerable skill and possess the mental capacity to control such...Hatred." She then looked over to Erza.. I was considering handing it over to you...But I'm afraid it's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"I suppose I am unworthy of such a responsibility," Erza whispered.

"I wouldn't sound so glum," Bambietta offered up. "Consider yourself fortunate that you haven't been pissed off so much you'd be that hateful."

"That's a...terrifying thought," Yuuki responded.

Elizabeth smiled. "Don't worry too much though, Unohana says she has someone right for the job? What was her name again?" The wizard saint took a moment to ponder it before she snapped her finger. "Eh, I'll remember it later. Back to the tour!"

They continued onwards until they finally stopped before a vault. Taking out a key, Elizabeth slowly unlocked the door, revealing two sets of armor surrounded by what could best be described as a death trap. Gun turret ready to fire at a moment's notice, Lasers surrounding the two pairs of armor, and Bambietta wouldn't have been surprised if the floor was littered with trap doors.

"Jesus, what are you keeping in here, King Kong?" Bambietta asked.

"It's entirely necessary I assure you," Elizabeth said before she raised up a small Lacrima into the lasers, disabling them, "These armors are unlike any I've made for you before Erza. These are not just suits that will empower you...Their weapons of mass destruction."

Erza's breath rattled out of her mouth then. "Is this... wise to allow into the outside world?"

"In the hands of anyone else, no. But I have the utmost faith and confidence in you Erza." Elizabeth said with a smile. "I know you aren't the kind of warrior who would escalate things needlessly."

Her eyes then narrowed. "That said...You must promise me that you won't use these unless it is absolutely necessary."

"You have my word as a member of Fairy Tail," Erza said solemnly.

"Excellent. Now then, let's take a closer look shall we?"

They stopped before a set of Gold and blue armor first, a Large Halberd of sorts held in the hands of the mannequin.

"Truth be told, I didn't make this one alone," Elizabeth said as she looked over to Erza. "It was a cooperative effort between me and an eccentric friend of mine. He thought, given my talents, the thought that the armor would be best left with me. I call it the Nakagami Armor. It has an amazing power Erza...It can ignore the laws of magic."

"What do you mean by that?" Bambietta asked.

Elizabeth smiled. "Well, to put it simply...the Halberd can cut through practically anything consisting of magic, even space."

"How did you guys make a weapon like that?" Liltoto asked.

"We had a lot of the work done for us already, truthfully," Elizabeth said. "According to my friend, the base of the weapon we used was the remains of an extremely powerful weapon back from his world. We worked and refined it, and simply compacted its power into a smaller, more usable weapon, so it now looks like this!"

Erza simply nodded her head. Bambietta, on the other hand, was wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Clasping her hands, stars in her eyes, Bambietta moved in closer to the armor. "Awe-some..."

"Be aware though that it drains you of your magic like crazy. Use it to end a fight as quickly as possible." The blacksmith informed Erza. "For now, I'd only recommend using the weapon as a last ditch effort."

"I'll be sure to keep it in mind," Erza answered with a nod. In that case, it would be best for me to end any battle with this armor with one blow.

The blacksmith then looked over to the excited Quincy. "I'm glad to see someone is so enthusiastic about my work," Elizabeth said as she looked over at Bambietta. "Who knows? Maybe I'll give you a weapon down the line."

Bambietta's eyes lit up like a thousand exploding suns as she turned to look from the armor to Elizabeth. "You... you mean it? Oh, I can think of so many fu-u-un weapons..."

"Well, of course, anyone who can take such appreciation of my creation deserves a fine quality weapon...if you can afford it."

She then walked over to the other mannequin in the room. This armor was quite different from the other ones Bambietta had ever seen Erza wear. It was pink to start off with. Pink! A short skirt was located on the lower half, and two broadswords with wing handles were held by each of its hands, a cape on the back and a tiara on the top of its head.

Elizabeth smiled as she stood in front of the display case. "This is Armadura Fairy Armor. In terms of pure destructive power, it's by far the most powerful armor I have forged to date." She slowly turned around to face Erza, a smile on her face. "Given your pride and love of the guild, I thought the name was fitting."

Erza stepped forward then, placing the palm of a hand up against the armor. She looked upon it with what an observer such as Bambietta could describe as adoration. "You have no idea."

"It's far more powerful than the purgatory armor," Elizabeth told Erza. "I made this specifically for dealing with Wizard Saint level threats. While I have no doubt the Nakagami armor would have allowed you to beat Jose if you were in your prime, this armor is meant for long-lasting battles the Nakgami armor can't handle."

She then gave her a grin. "Just...Don't use it in any populated area if you can help it. It has enough firepower to an entire Island."

"An…an entire island?" Bambietta stammered.

"Isn't that a bit…excessive?" Rukia asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not if you're fighting a member of the Wizard Saint's it's not. Besides, that's only the strength of the armor with how strong she is now," Elizabeth stated. "Its power will increase as yours will Erza."

Bambietta couldn't help but look down at her feet now. ...Yeah, Ok, there goes ANY chance of victory I had against her now. There's no way I'm gonna close that gap without my vollstandig!

"This armor is one I hope never sees use," Erza said, taking a deep breath. "It would pain me if my guild was ever faced with another Wizard Saint-level threat."

"Yes, well, hope is fine and all," Elizabeth said as she gave Erza a serious look. "But the world is rapidly changing, Erza. The dark guilds are becoming more and more powerful with each passing day. That's why I believed that this armor was a necessity for your arsenal. Besides."

She then frowned as her eyes dropped. "I'd...miss you if anything happened to you.".

Erza closed her eyes for a moment, putting a comforting hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Your concern is appreciated."

"Yes, well, I couldn't go losing my company mascot now could I?" Elizabeth said as she watched Erza store away the armors with her Requip magic. "And my number one customer to boot."

"Speaking of which...How much are these going to cost you?" Liltotto asked Erza. "I can't imagine something like this being cheap."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Elizabeth told Liltotto. "Someone else already paid for them."

"What?" Erza furrowed her brow. She had been more than willing to pay for such armor, but... "Who?"

"Oh Erza, I'm hurt. I would have figured you would have known by now that I'm always watching out for you and the guild."

Bambietta, Liltotto and Rukia's eyes widened as they heard the voice, sensing an enormous spiritual pressure slowly making its way into the room. Rukia in particular, couldn't help but reach for her sword as she felt it. It's even bigger than Elizabeth's...In fact...It's almost on par with...my brothers!

Slowly walking into the light was a woman with black hair and brown eyes, her hair done into two buns and long braided pigtails. She wore long white gloves and a purple Asian dress, her hands on her hips as she smiled.

"It's been far too long, Erza."

Erza turned, her concern transforming to elation. For but a moment she had allowed herself to consider the possibility that Siegrain had been behind this, his controlling hand having extended further into Erza's life. Because of that, it was a relief to see and hear another take credit for it. "Meifon!"

She smiled then, walking over to Erza and placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "I've heard so many things about you since we've last met. We simply must catch up." However, at the corner of her eye...the wizard saint was looking at Bambietta. And...I need to see if you truly are worthy of the power she has bestowed you.


So there we have it. A lot of things went down in this chapter, and while some of you may be confused as to why I bothered to show this little detour, it'll all make sense down the line, I promise you. The Tower of Heaven arc is almost here my friends. Just two more chapters to go. That much I can promise.

That said, I am eager to see what you all thought about this chapter. From introducing elements from "The key to the Starry Heavens" filler arc to Erza's new armor and even showing off more of what Celestial Blade is like.

For those of you who have seen the filler arc, you may already have an idea as to what I may have planned. If you havent...well, prepare to be surprised. Just know that I DO have a basis for this being Lucy's fullbring.

Anyway,s that's all I have to say for the moment. I'm very eager to hear your thoughts on the chapter, so please feel free to leave your thoughts in a review, I would really appreciate it. Think of it as a Christmas present, it would mean a lot to me.

MPFS:

Giants: 876

Nibaw: 2400

Xerina: 4670

Maria: 945

Meifon:5450

Yuuki: 4000

Elizabeth: 5200