Oh boy did I put a lot of work into this one. The Loke arc was a bit more in-depth than I had planned it to be. Thankfully I was able to get it all done in this chapter if you don't count the setup from the previous one. I'm actually really proud of how it all came out, though it really would mean a lot to me if you would all let me know what you think. I seriously worked really hard on it, so that would mean so much to me if you left a review. Well, I think I've delayed long enough, let's get this thing going!
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!
After a relaxing night at Hosenka village, our heroes soon found themselves once again at Magnolia, the group getting to their destination fairly early in the morning thanks to the use of high-speed movement techniques. Having relaxed more than enough at the hot springs, Bambietta was eager to pick out another mission. Wendy has already gone on a mission the day before simply wished to spend her day at home to relax for a day to enjoy a new book that she had found. That suited Bambietta just fine. She didn't want Wendy to be around with what she had planned.
"Let's hope that this time whatever I pick puts up some kind of fight," Bambietta said as she was currently looking at the request board. There were plenty of options for her to choose from as usual, but Bambietta was particularly picky this time around. "Last time was a total let down, so this time I'm going to pick an A-class mission. Those are always fun."
"Yeah, maybe for you, but I'd rather not end up getting almost eaten by some monster like the last A class mission we went on," Lucy stated as she walked right next to Bambietta. "That Basilick nearly swallowed me whole!"
"Yeah but that was because I didn't think the damn thing's hide would be so tough! How was I supposed to know my arrows wouldn't have worked on it?" Bambietta retorted. "Look, you don't have to go with me on this if you don't want to. I know that these kinds of things can get a bit scary for you. I'm just doing this to get my lust for battle out of my system. You can go pick something nice and easy."
"But what if something happens to you? Someone needs to be there to make sure you can get bailed out if things get too rough." Lucy said back at her. "I don't want to worry about you while I'm doing my request."
"I'll be fine!" Bambietta said back. "You're talking to the next S class wizard of Fairy Tail here!"
"I'll make sure Bambi doesn't do anything stupid," Liltotto said as she overheard the commotion at a nearby table, currently eating a whole stack of pancakes. "Wouldn't be the first time I've done it, trust me. I've kept her and Candi out of trouble more times than I can count."
"Hey, we didn't get into trouble that much back home," Candice said as she and Jade began to listen in on their conversation. "I only got a lecture from Hatchwalth 3 times a week!"
That's more than I ever got. Bambietta thought. Thank god.
"Yeah, kinda proving my point," Liltotto responded as she finished all of her pancakes with one ginormous bite, her mouth extending far larger than humanly possibly thanks to her Schrift. "If not for me, I'm sure you two would have gotten twice as much."
"I can believe that," Rukia added in from her own table, Levy sitting right across from her. "You two wouldn't have lasted a week in the Gotie with that behavior of yours."
"Says the woman who is part of an organization that lets Kenpachi Zaraki lead a whole squad." Bambietta retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Not exactly a guy I'd call an ideal leader."
"Who's that?" Lucy asked.
Liltotto sighed. "Take Natsu's enjoyment for battle, turn it up to 11, add in the power of a wizard saint, with even fewer manners and common decency and give him a sword and you have Kenpachi Zaraki."
"...They let someone like that run things where you're from?" Levy asked Rukia with concern.
"...Yes," Rukia responded, fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands. "He's an...exception to the rule."
"You mean for being a competent leader or also being a decent guy because I could easily make the case for-" Before Bambietta could finish her sentence, however, a group of four women began to storm the guild and headed right over to Mirajane while she was serving at the bar, and they did not look happy. Oh boy, what are we in for today? Bambietta couldn't help but wonder.
"I've been looking all over for Loke, where is he!?"A brunette cried out
"I can't believe he ran out on me!" A blue-haired woman added.
"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" A blonde quickly followed up.
"I could ask you the same thing!" A short brown-haired woman added.
"Oh, Loke come back to me!" The blue-haired one yelled out.
"What's going on over there?" Lucy asked her guildmates.
"Well, it looks like someone's womanizing way's has come back to bite him in the ass," Jade commented. "Personally I'm surprised it took this long."
"Really, it was never a matter of if, only when," Rukia told Jade who nodded in agreement.
"Good, that's the least he deserves after what he tried to pull on my Lucy!" Bambietta said with a scowl. To say that the quincy was still holding a grudge was an understatement. The next time I see that Kurosaki wannabe, I'm gonna break his damn nose!
The gathered group of women didn't stop there however as the brunette spoke up. "Last night he left me a letter said that he wanted to break up with me!"
"And he broke up with me too!" The short blue-haired woman added in.
"And me!" The blonde added
"Why doesn't he want me anymore?! Huh!? Why!?" The brunette added in.
Mirajane wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation going on in front of her. She had helped out many of her guildmates in the past during their troubled times after she had lost her sister but handling this many people at once was entirely new to her. "Um, well-"
"Is he getting married to some other girl!?"The blonde yelled at her.
"Uh, no." Mirajane quickly said before her eyes slowly wandered over to Candice. Unless...she and Loke are finally going steady! Candice and Loke had gotten pretty close compared to any other woman Mirajane had seen the young man with. Still, it would be best if she kept this thought to herself. The last thing she wanted would be having all these women trying to pick a bone with Candice...and end up electrocuted as a result. They were just civilians, and the odds of them just being able to "walk it off" were slim to none.
It seemed that Mirajane wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion as Liltotto slowly looked over to Candice. "So, you finally decide to go straight with him and force him to leave those harpies so you could have him for yourself?"
Candice smirked before she answered. "Now Lil as beautiful as I am...No." However, despite her outward demeanor of nonchalance, the green-haired beauty was actually rather concerned as she listened to what the women were saying. Damn it, Loke, I knew something was wrong with you yesterday! Just need a good night's sleep my ass! If Loke's just breaking up with this many girls at once, then something serious is going on.
"Who is she, is she someone from the guild!?" The brunette demanded.
"Lucy save me!" Mirajane panicked, simply asking the person closest to her for help.
Oh nooo. Lucy thought as the mob of angry women came marching over to her.
"So is this the girl!?" The brunette asked with her hands on her hips.
"Well, she dresses like a tramp!" The blue-haired one added.
"She thinks she's cute, but I've seen way better." The blonde one scoffed.
"Don't tell me Loke's gonna mary someone like this!" The brown-haired one added.
Why did you have to drag me into this mess, Mira!? Lucy began to freak out. She slowly began to get up from her chair to run, but she soon felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Looking behind her, she could see that it was none other than Bambietta.
"You broad's got a problem with my girlfriend?" The quincy said in a low tone as she slowly walked over to the angry mob. "Look, I get that you're all hurting right now. A broken heart is no laughing matter, trust me I've been there. So believe me when I say that I get that you want to lash out at someone...But if you think I'm just gonna let you take out on the woman I love, think again." The 4 girls that came in were soon falling to their knees then as Bambietta flexed her spiritual pressure. "So how's about you four get on out of here, cry in your rooms for a few hours, and leave my girlfriend out of this, or am I going to have to get...violent?"
That was all they needed to hear as Bambietta reladed them from her crushing force, the 4 of them running as fast as they could outside. Bambietta spat to the ground then as she narrowed her eyes. "Typical. They probably had all kinds of big talk about how much they cared for him, but once the odds of them getting hurt come up, they're nothing but a bunch of cowards." She turned around then and smiled at Lucy. "Not that you couldn't have handled that yourself but...Nobody insults you and gets away with it. Not if I have a say anyway."
"Thanks, Bambi," Lucy said with a smile. Knowing that she had someone as strong and caring by her side really did bring Lucy a whole new different kind of comfort. She knew that the guild would always look out for her if things went too far, but Bambietta would always be there for her, no matter what. She didn't have to wait for things to go south in the first place because Bambietta wouldn't let things get that far. She grabbed Bambietta's hand then as she smiled. "I've changed my mind. We can do that A class mission after all."
"Are you sure?" Bambietta asked. "If you really don't want to-"
"It'll be fine," Lucy assured her. "As long as I have you with me, everything's gonna be ok."
"Alright!" Bambietta said as she threw her fist into the air. Bambietta then slowly looked over to Levy, Candice, and Liltotto. "Want to join in?"
"I'm taking a page from Wendy's book and take it easy today, so I'm gonna pass," Liltotto said. "Maybe next time."
"Ulquiorra and I already have something planned out. I'm planning on meeting him in the forest, said he wanted to check something out before we did anything, and I'd rather not cancel at the last second." Levy added. "Sorry."
"And you Candi?" Bambietta asked.
"I would but...I'm gonna go check up on Loke," Candice said.
"What!? Why!? That guy's no good for you!" Bambietta yelled at her.
"Look, I'm just worried about him ok!?" Candice yelled back. "I'm not going to be able to focus on anything else until I know what the deal is with him! You can't tell me that him just breaking up with all those women is normal!"
"Suit yourself," Bambietta replied. "Well, go ahead and waste your day for all I care. As for me-" Bambietta said as she wrapped her hands around Lucy's waist. "I got myself a date! Because after this is over, I'm taking her to the bathhouse for a nice soak!"
"Didn't we all just go to the spa yesterday?" Rukia asked.
"Yeah, so?" Bambietta retorted. "Lucy said she would love to go again, so I figure this was the easiest way to get that done! Besides, this time it won't have the pillow fight from hell! That'll make it way more fun!"
Rukia could only glance over to Natsu and Gray, the two mages starting to bicker only a few moments ago as they entered the guild, conveniently missing out on the earlier drama...Though it seemed they were about to start their own.
"It was just a pillow fight, what were you getting so worked up about!?" Gray demanded as he yelled at Natsu.
"Cause I give everything one hundred percent!" Natsu yelled back.
"Oh like how you one hundred percent lost!?" Gray retorted.
"I was awesome, you're the one who lost!" Natsu said as he grabbed on Gray's shoulders. "You want to settle this right now!?"
"Bring it!"
Juvia could only watch from a distance at the bickering going on. She knew well enough that only Erza and Master Makarov could hope to break up what was about to start. So rather than try to prevent the inevitable, she simply decided it would be best to cheer her boyfriend on. "Oh my darling Gray, I know that you'll surely be victorious!"
"...Fair enough." Rukia had to admit as she looked back at Bambietta.
"Now onwards, to adventure!" Bambietta said as she took Lucy by the hand and began to march out of the guild in excitement, the celestial mage smiling all the way.
The sound of metal clanging could be heard as Levy made her way deep into the wilderness that surrounded Magnolia. She wasn't quite sure what it was she was hearing, but if she had to hazard a guess she would say it sounded like two swords clashing. She soon found herself upon a clearing in the forest to see that her assumption was correct, though she was still taken aback at what she was seeing. Erza and Ulquiorra were currently engaged in a rather tense sword battle, their blades moving at speeds that Levy's eyes couldn't even keep track of. Many trees behind them had been cut down, as well as the occasional rock. She slowly approached with caution then, wondering what had caused this battle in the first place.
He's good! Erza thought as she quickly parried one of Ulquiorra's strikes by swinging her sword downward forcing the arrancar's blade to hit the ground. She quickly tried to follow it up with a forward thrust of her blade but with the use of sonido, Ulquiorra had gained considerable distance between the two. Erza raised up her blade once more as he came at her with the speed that she had only seen from the likes of Laxus. He had challenged her only a few minutes ago, though for what reason she had yet to ascertain. He didn't seem to be someone who had a love for battle like Natsu and Bambietta did, but considering how disappointed Erza had been from the mission she had taken the day before, she was more than willing to accept his offer. At least this way she could see how powerful he really was and perhaps get a better grasp on just how trustworthy he really was.
Trying to hit Erza with a series of multiple thrusts of his blade, Erza found herself on the defensive, her sword just barely managing to deflect each blow. Left, right, up and down, no matter how many times and ways she tried to parry his blade she was unable to move fast enough to exploit any openings. While his skills with a blade were above the average swordsmen she did battle with, he was still only using the bare basics of swordsmanship to fight her. However, what he lacked in sword technique he more than made up for with speed and power deserving of their own S class.
She's quite skilled. The former Espada thought as he continued to try, yet fail, to land any hits on her. While she was currently no better than the average captain while using their Shikai at the moment, the skill she was able to use to deflect his blade despite the vast difference in spiritual pressure between them had impressed him. Ulquiorra hadn't had much time to truly test his skill with the blade with any true worthy opponent. Most, in fact, were incapable of him even needing to draw his sword. Ichigo Kurosaki had been the first, and only one to force his hand. But comparing Ichigo's skills with a blade with Erza's was like comparing a novice with master swordsmen. The substitute had only had his powers for less than a year by the time they did battle, thus the young man had very little experience with his weapon to aid him, his spiritual pressure alone was the only reason he had put up any sort of resistance.
But this wizard, Erza Scarlet, was somehow able to avoid any hits with just her skill and instinct alone. Deciding it was time to move things up to the next level and see just what she was capable of, he used sonido once more to appear behind Erza who was just barely able to turn around in time to react as he thrust his blade forward at twice the speed, the sharp metal just barely grazing her cheek as Erza moved her head to the left at just the right time.
I'm just barely able to deflect his blows like this! I can't just stay on the defensive, I need to change the tide of this battle! Jumping back to avoid anymore blows, Erza began to glow gold before her attire changed. Gone was her plate armor and blue skirt, as she was now clad in a cheetah clad top, cat ears, and very small black shorts and two blades. In a fraction of a second, she disappeared from Ulquiorra's line of sight and appeared above him as she swung her two blades down on his head. The former Espada was just barely able to raise his blade in time to stop her attack only for her to appear behind him with her new immense speed and slashed him across his back. The cut was very shallow, just barely drawing any sort of blood but she had still damaged him nonetheless. Ulquiorra tried to attack Erza with a burst of sonido and swung his sword at her horizontally but Erza was able to quickly react and swung her own blade in time to block his attack with her right blade before she swung her left-handed weapon to strike at his shoulder.
The tide of battle had changed then, the arrancar now having just barely enough speed to react to Erza's own flurry of blades. Her speed has increased drastically. The arrancar thought as she continued to push him back, attacking him with her two blades at every conceivable angle. Soon her twin blades managed to overcome his own, his sword being forced above his head with a powers swing and her blades hit home, her right-handed sword slashing him across the chest and managing to knock him back a few feet before she tried to stab forward with her remaining blade as she ran forward. He parried the attack by moving her blade to the right with his own weapon and then, noticing an opening, pointed his index finger at Erza. Erza's eyes widened as a green glow began to form right in front of her eyes, the wizard just barely able to raise her blades in an X position to defend herself before she was blasted by the cero. The green-ray of light smashed against her and destroyed her two blades, the S class mage falling to the ground, covered in bruises but otherwise fine. She slowly got to her feet, ready to continue the fight once more before she noticed Ulqiorra sheathing his blade.
"That'll suffice. I've seen enough." He said as he looked down at her.
"I'm far from finished I'll have you know," Erza responded as she slowly got up to her feet. "If you think that'll be nearly enough to defeat me-"
"On the contrary, I'm fully aware that you have far more power than you've shown thus far," Ulquiorra told her. "If we were to have continued fighting in my current state I'm positive that you would have emerged the victor. I merely just wished to see if the tales of your strength were true."
"And?" Erza asked, her eyebrow raised. She didn't know him well, Levy having spent far more time with the man than anyone else in the guild, but she didn't think that this would be something he would care much about. Perhaps there was a part of him that valued power after all. Given his nature as an arrancar, it made some degree of sense to Erza from what little she knew about them.
"Given what you've shown me, as well as the hidden depths to your power that you have yet to show me...I would say your power is indeed worthy of the praise." He said, his face still as expressionless as ever.
"If you'll mind me asking, why is it that you cared enough to find out?" Erza asked. "Forgive me for assuming, but it doesn't seem like something that you would care much about."
"When I first arrived in this world, I didn't know where I stood," Ulquiorra said to her. "How powerful were the people in this world? Would I have what it took to survive? These questions plagued my mind for the first few days I spent in your world. I was able to quickly ascertain that most beings in this world still didn't compare to me...But there were the occasional few I sensed in this land that gave me pause for thought. Thus, I decided to abide by the laws of this new world, though I never had any intent for any criminal activity in the first place. I had no purpose, merely trying to exist on a day to day basis with one single exception." He pressed his hand against his chest before he continued. "The heart. It was a concept that I was only just beginning to figure out when I died. When I came to this world, I spent many days trying to figure it out...But each time, I could find no answers."
"But then you met Levy," Erza stated.
Ulquiorra nodded his head before he continued. "She was the first person that I had a prolonged conversation within this world, the first time I was able to gain some understanding about the heart. However, when she found out about what I truly was, I had suspected that she would fear me, as any normal human would have done...But she didn't. For the first time in my life, I had experienced something new to me. I believe you humans refer to it as "relief". For the first time...I made a friend or at least one in which the relationship couldn't be considered one-sided. Then, I found out my true purpose for coming to this land from Miss Basterbine, that we were to do battle for the sake of humanity. I'm well aware of the possibility that beings stronger than I am may have died hundreds of years before my own existence, as well as beings that could give me considerable struggles such as the former king of Hueco Mundo, Baragan. Thus I simply needed to know how strong my allies would be in this battle...For if I were to fail-"
"Levy would die." Erza finished. Now she was beginning to understand. All of this was just his own way to make sure he could keep her safe. A warrior is only as strong as the people he allies himself with after all.
"I have never experienced grief, or sadness before," Ulquiorra said. "Nor do I feel that I have the capacity to do so even now. But even so, despite this...Something inside of me, a voice of some sort is telling me just one thing. Don't let her die."
Erza smiled then as she looked at him. You may not know it Ulquiorra, but that voice you're hearing...is your heart. She may have had some concerns about him before all of this, but now...she knew that she could trust him.
"Oh, I didn't know that you cared about me so much!"
The two turned around then to see none other than Levy herself, the petite mage finally deciding to let herself be known.
"How long have you been there?" Erza asked.
"For about 5 minutes," Levy said as she walked over to them. "I didn't want to interrupt what you two were doing. Seemed intense."
The two warriors briefly glanced at one another before Erza smiled at her friend. "Oh, you don't need to concern yourself with that. I believe we're pretty much finished with our little sparring match." As far as the scarlet haired mage was concerned, any and all doubts she had about Ulquiorra had been laid to rest, at least for now.
Levy smiled back before she spoke. "That's good to hear, I found a good place to go fishing later. I've noticed that you like things nice and quiet so I think you'll take a liking to it."
"Fishing you say?" The former Espada said. Truth be told, he had never considered giving it a try. Still, if what she was saying was true, perhaps he could find some sort of appeal to it. "Very well then."
"I'll head back to the guild. Knowing Natsu and Gray, there probably already causing a ruckus over the little pillow fight we had last night." Erza stated.
She really does know them too well, doesn't she? Levy thought before she took the Espada's hand. "Come on now, let's get going!"
The 3 soon went their separate ways, leaving the forest to go about the rest of their days. However, only a minute upon their departure did a miraculous change begin to occur, the cut-down trees and destroyed terrane once more returning to their natural state as a woman seemed to slowly phase into existence, her body slowly forming together as if it were made out of particles of sand. Mette smiled then as she looked at her work. "There we go, good as new!" She smiled then before she sat down on one of the recently fixed rocks. "Miss Scarlet truly is something, and to think she hasn't gotten anywhere near her full potential. I can see why father has his eye on you now."
A butterfly landed on her shoulder then, and the princess of the vandenriech moved her finger over to it slowly to allow the beautiful insect to slowly crawl on. Once it did, she slowly moved her hand over to her face as she looked at it. "She seems really nice too. I think you'd like her, wouldn't you mom?" The butterfly soon began to flutter its wings then before it took off, the quincy slowly rising as she did so. "Well, I best get going. After all...I have so many other people I need to pay close attention to."
"Damn it all!" Candice yelled as she zapped a discarded can that laid on the ground, the metal vaporized from the bolt of lightning that shot from her fingers. The sun was slowly setting on the town of Magnolia and Candice was having no luck in finding Loke.
"What's got you so bothered?" Liltotto said as she soon jumped down from the sky, the small quincy wanting to see what had gotten Candice so angry. That was far from the first bolt of lightning that she had seen today. "What, did some guy stiff you on a date?"
"We're having a hard time finding Loke," Jade responded as she looked up from the book she was reading while she sat down on a bench. "Candi didn't want to go on any missions until she knew what was going on."
"When I got home, I found a letter inside of my room," Candice said as she balled her fists and anger. "That motherfucker broke up with me, with a letter! He didn't even bother to say it to my damn face, just like those other girls!"
"So this is just you trying to kick his ass? I swore you were better than this." Liltotto said with a roll of her eyes.
"That's not it at all! I'm worried about him!" Candice yelled. "I know you and Bambi aren't exactly fond of Loke but this is not like him at all! I've been trying to find him so I can find out what the deal is, and I can't find him anywhere!" Candice's angry yelled. She was half tempted to pull on her hair in irritation, but she was still calm and rational enough to not do something that would sooner or later just make her even more upset. "I've looked everywhere for him, all the typical hot spots that I've seen him try to get some hot piece of ass, but I've had no luck! The local pool, the fancy 5 stat restaurant that you always rave about, the movie theater, I've even gone to the nearby towns to see if I could find him but I've come up with jack shit!" as she facepalmed. "I even went to a fucking gay bar on the chance he was trying to avoid people!"
"And you haven't just tried to find him by his spiritual pressure...why exactly?" Liltotto asked. "Seem's like the easy answer to all this."
"Don't you think that's the first thing I tried to do!?" Candice responded irritated. "But as many times as I've tried to sense him, I've picked up nothing!"
"You're just out of practice," Liltotto said as she rolled her eyes. Candice did try to occasionally skip out on any mandatory training Hacthwald demanded of the newest recruits when she occasionally didn't feel like it. No doubt that was coming back to bit her in the ass. Liltotto closed her eyes then, trying to find her fellow guildmate...only for her eyes to open up in surprise. She could sense everyone that she knew from the guild...Except for Loke. "What the hell?"
"See what I mean?" Candice said as she threw her hands up into the air. "It's like the guy has vanished off the face of the earth!"
"But the only way someone like us couldn't sense him would be because he's either really far away or..." Liltotto began to say before Candice cut her off.
"He's dead? Yeah, that's kinda been my worry since yesterday. You and Bambi probably didn't care enough notice, but for the past week now Loke's spiritual pressure has gotten weaker and weaker. I tried to talk to him about it after he helped us out by saving Mette, but he just said he needed a good night's sleep after a series of hard missions."
"And you believed him?" Liltotto asked. "Come on Candi, you're smarter than that."
"You know how I am Lil! I don't like to force myself onto other people's problems unless they want my help! He clearly didn't want my help when I offered it up to him yesterday, and for all I know, that's just how magic works in this world! Besides, I didn't think it would get this bad!" Candice groaned in anger then as the clenched her fists.
"Look, how's about I give you a hand?" Liltotto asked. "3 pairs of eyes are going to be far better than 2 anyway."
"At this point, I'll take all the help I can get!" Candice said.
"Shouldn't we get the whole guild to help?" Jade asked. "That'll make things a lot easier."
Liltotto shook her head. "I get where you're coming from, but from what I'm gathering, it seems like Loke doesn't want to be found. I don't know why that is, but if we bring too many people into this odds are he's gonna panic and leave town, assuming he hasn't already. Besides, do you really think Natsu and Elfmen are going to be able to go looking for him without causing some kind of ruckus? No, it's best we keep this to as few people as possible. I'll at least go and get Rukia. She'll be a great help for this."
Candice nodded in agreement as Liltotto took off but even as she did, she found herself a bit confused. It's not like you to get so invested like this Candice. I can only hope by the time this is over, you're not gonna be suffering from a broken heart.
Magnolia had only one public bathhouse, but despite its small size, it was just what Bambietta and Lucy were looking for after what had been a rather intense mission, fighting an entire horde of cyclopes. One or two were easy enough for Bambietta to handle fairly easily...But over 60? That had tested her and her girlfriends might to the limit. By the time it was all over, the two were sweaty, exhausted, and covered in grim...But that suited Bambietta just fine. She had finally managed to get the action she had eagerly awaited for a whole week and now was totally satisfied. They had even run into Levy and Ulquiorra, whom Bambietta was more than willing to invite them to join them for a nice soak. They had accepted and thus the 4 of them were now at the bathhouse, the arrancar taking a soak of his own in the male bathing section.
"Nothing's better than a good bath after a mission like that," Lucy said before she sighed in content as she soaked in the warm comforting water. For once being on such a dangerous mission hadn't really bothered her so much. Sure it was still a little scary but...she had to admit, it was also kind of exciting. It helped that she knew that no matter what had happened, Bambietta would always put Lucy's safety before anything else. One Cyclops, in particular, had gotten a bit too close to Lucy for her liking, but Bambietta was quick to come in for the rescue and severed its head with one clean slice.
It wasn't like when she and Natsu would occasionally go on a mission together. She was rather fond of the dragon slayer, she even considered him one of her closest friends...but many times she would end up in danger far more often while she worked with him than she did with Bambietta...and sometimes even got hit by his own stray attack. And unlike Natsu...Bambi always knew what she could do to cheer Lucy up after such a hard mission, like this bathhouse. They had been relaxing in here for well over 30 minutes now and Lucy loved every bit of it. "You were really great out there Bambi."
"I told you didn't I?" Bambietta said with a smirk as she sat across from Lucy in the warm bath. "You're talking to Fairy Tail's next S class wizard. If I couldn't handle something like that, I wouldn't deserve to go on the S class trials."
"Someone's rather confident," Lucy said playfully as she winked. "What makes you so sure that you'll be the one to win?"
"Because my power, skill, and experience as a warrior are way higher than the competition," Bambietta responded. "Other than Lil using her Vollstandig, I'm pretty sure I can beat anyone else nominated for it no problem."
"Even Natsu?" Lucy asked.
Bambietta sighed before she answered. "...Well, ok, he might give me some slight trouble, but as I said, I have way more experience and skill than he does." Bambietta said. "It takes more than just power to win a fight. Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way. In that regard, he may get to my level in time, but I'm sure I've got him beat in every other category."
"And Erza?" Levy added in. "You might have to fight her for all we know."
"...I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Bambietta said as she looked down. Granted, the gap between her and Erza had been closed considerably since she had gotten her shrift, the quincy quite confident she could beat Erza in most of her armors...But the likes of Purgatory and the newly acquired ones the Titania had received from Elizabeth were things that Bambietta knew that without her vollstandig...Would totally crush her.
"Well, at least you have realistic expectations when it comes to her," Levy responded.
"I think I'm going to go dry off," Lucy said as she got out of the water.
"I'll be with you in about 10 more minutes. I really want to get as much out of this as I can." Bambietta said as she slinked more into the warm water. Oh god, that feels soooooo good.
"Same here," Levy said. "I don't get a chance to do this often. I'm gonna enjoy this as long as I can."
Lucy gave her girlfriend a smile then as she got out of the bath and began to dry off in the locker room. Soon she was wearing a red tank top and blue shorts. She smiled then as she looked into the sky. "Man, I like my bath at home but this place really takes the cake. I really do owe Bambi for taking me here."
"Hey, Lucy."
Turning around, to her surprise, the wizard was seeing none other than Loke, the man who she had just slapped the other day.
"Here, try this. It really hits the spot after taking a bath." He said as he gave Lucy a purple bottle.
"Oh? Flavored milk?" Lucy said as she took the bottle. "Thank you." She took a sip then and smiled. "You're right that really does hit the spot." She then gasped as she saw a shooting star. "Wow, it's so pretty!" She then smiled. "Bambi and I had a great time star gazing last night after you helped me out."
"Really, that sounds like fun," Loke said before he looked down. "But personally...I kinda feel bad for shooting stars."
"Whys that?" Lucy asked.
"Well just think, once they fall from the sky, they can never return to heaven," Loke said sadly. "Doesn't that seem sad?"
"Wow, I never thought of it that way," Lucy said. That did kinda make it better sweet when she thought about it that way. She then slowly turned around looked at Loke. "But...you might want to get out of here. Bambi said that if she saw you again she'd-"
"Give me a black eye? Yeah, that's fair after what I did last night." Loke said before he sighed. "Look, I just wanted to apologize ya know? For...everything."
"Oh?" Lucy said as she took another sip. She wasn't entirely sure if this was just another poor set up for him to try to get her on a date, but for now, he seemed to be legitimate. "I'll have you know I almost got in a bit of trouble today because of you and your stupid fan club."
"Yeah, I...heard all about that." He said as he looked down. "I didn't mean for you to get dragged into any of that or anyone at the guild for that matter."
"You mind telling me what that was all about?" Lucy asked. "I mean, that's so unlike you."
"The truth is...I'm leaving Fairy Tail." He said as he looked at Lucy. "I can't stay here anymore, so...I just had to break it up with them."
"Wait, you're leaving!? Why!?" Lucy asked before she suddenly got angry. "You better not tell me I'm the reason-"
"It has nothing to do with you, don't worry." Loke interrupted. "It's...not that I don't want to stay...I just can't. I'm sorry." He slowly began to walk away then, heading towards the forest. "Look, I know that I've been a real pain to you since we first met. I just wanted to make things right with you, before I go. At least now I've managed to make things right with at least one celestial wizard before I go."
"But what about Candice?" Lucy asked. "I mean, I thought the two of you were so close!"
The real reason he hadn't seen Candice again was simple. If she had seen him again odds were she wouldn't let him leave without being honest. It was why he used the letter to say goodbye to her. Still, Loke was quick to come up with an answer. "Let's just say...I didn't want to get electrocuted."
"Oh come on, Candice has a short temper at times but I'm sure she would understand."
"I know." He said before he looked at Lucy and gave her a smile. It wasn't like the kinds she had seen him used time and time again to pick up a girl...this one seemed to be sincere, full of warmth and kindness. "Tell her...I'm sorry."
And then with a flash of light, he was gone. Lucy slowly rubbed her eyes then as she began to get her sight back. A teleportation spell? But...Why would he need to use such a thing? As far as Lucy knew, Loke had only been a user of ring magic. If he could use something like that...it meant he had to have set up a teleport array somewhere. But...why would he need such a thing anyway? Lucy wondered. They were very rare pieces of magical technology, the devices having been banned due to criminal misuse and most of them had been destroyed, or so the magical council had claimed.
"Ah, Lucy, there you are!"
With a burst of hirenkyaku and shunpo, Candice, Liltotto, and Rukia, along with Jade who was being carried by Candice soon appeared in front of her.
"Hey Candice, what can I help you out with?" Lucy asked. What could they possibly want with her?
"Is it true that you saw Loke last night?" Candice asked.
"Um yeah, I was actually just talking with him a few seconds ago," Lucy answered.
"WHAT!? YOU MEAN WE JUST MISSED HIM!?" Candice yelled. "You got to be fucking kidding me!"
"You don't exactly need to shout you know, I could hear you from all the way inside ." Bambietta declared as she, Levy, and Ulquiorra exited from the bathhouse. She slowly turned to Lucy then as her eyes narrowed. "Ok, what did that asshole do this time huh? How many bones do I need to break?"
"It was nothing like that, really." Lucy insisted as she waved her hands in front of her. "He just came by to apologize for everything is all, that's seriously all it was about. Well, that and leaving the guild."
"Well at least we know he's alive now," Liltotto said.
"The hell are you going on about?" Bambietta asked.
"She's probably referring to how weak Loke's spiritual pressure was for the last week," Ulquiorra said as he stepped forward. "Frankly I'm surprised that no one here was able to notice it."
"Wait, you knew!?" Candice yelled at him. "Why didn't you do anything about it!?"
"I was under the assumption that you were taking care of it when you saw him last night." The arrancar said. "Furthermore, I am not a member of this guild. It is not my place, nor my responsibility to care for his well being."
Levy winced slightly as she heard just how cold Ulquiorra was in the current situation. She knew that he was stunted emotionally due to his harsh life in Hueco Mundo but that didn't make hearing what he said any easier. Ohhh do I have my work cut out for me here?
"Again, what's going on here!?" Bambietta demanded.
"We think Loke may be dying," Rukia answered. "Given his recent actions and weak spiritual pressure, I think it's safe to say that's the case."
"Why the fuck didn't you do anything about it!?" Bambietta yelled at Candice.
"I did, He told me that he had it under control!" Candice shouted.
"CLEARLY NOT!" Bambietta yelled back.
"Can we focus?!" Liltotto yelled, interrupting the two of them. "Getting into a shouting match isn't going to solve anything! We've found Lucy, so let's do what we came here for!"
Rukia slowly walked over to Lucy before she spoke. "I need to hold your hand for a moment. If he was really with you a moment ago, I might be able to track him with whatever little reiatsu he left behind." It had been a bit of a stretch at first for Rukia to try since they believed Lucy had seen him only last night but know that they knew she had contacted with him recently, Rukia was now more confident in her chances. Nodding her head in understanding, Lucy gave the small soul reaper her hand, Candice beginning to pace back and forth as this was going on.
"What's up with you?" Bambietta asked her friend. "I'm not used to seeing you so...worried."
"Why wouldn't I be worried, if we don't figure out what's going on with him, he's as good as dead," Candie said.
"Yeah but I've gotten rid of plenty of your boy toys in the past thanks to my...nasty habit, you got mad for like 5 minutes and then you got over it. I've never seen you get invested in anyone like this before. What's changed?" Bambietta asked, her arms now crossed
"Nothing's changed. I'd do the same if you went missing."
Bambietta and Liltotto's eyes widened as they heard that. I see. You see the whole guild the same way I do, don't you Candi? Bambietta thought. She smiled then as she looked at her friend. This whole time I thought you were only staying in the guild because it's where Lil and I decided to call home...but you've really come to like this place haven't you?
Liltotto herself as more or less thinking the same thing. Glad to see this wasn't just about her being afraid of losing her boy toy. There really is a lot more to you than meet the eye isn't there?
"I think I have something!" Rukia said as a yellow ribbon began to slowly form around Lucy, the blonde, Levy, and Jade looking on in interest.
"What is that?" Levy asked. She had never seen anything like it before.
"This isn't going to hurt me is it? "Lucy followed up.
"Not at all," Rukia said. "This is a spirit ribbon. Every creature of some kind has one. Most are white, but soul reapers have red ones and hollows have black ones. That said...I've never seen a yellow one like this before." Rukia shook her head. "We can figure out why that is later, for now, we'll be using the trace amount of spiritual pressure he left on you to find his whereabouts."
Well, I'm glad I'm not a thief anymore. Jade thought to herself. Odds were she and Fairy Tail would have crossed paths sooner or later and with this technique, she was seeing before her own eyes, the odds of her getting away would have been slim to none. The yellow ribbon shot forward then, moving about several feet...Only to drop dead once it was a mile out. Jade looked down at the ribbon then before speaking. "Is it...supposed to do that?"
"It's no good," Rukia said as she shook her head. "His spiritual pressure is even lower than I feared. I'm afraid that by the rate he's going he'll be dead in less than an hour."
"God damn it!" Candice yelled as she clenched her fists in anger before she looked at Lucy. "Did he say anything about where he might be going!?"
"He didn't, I'm sorry," Lucy said as she shook her head. Now she was getting really concerned. She and Loke may not have been on the best of terms but he had fought valiantly against Jose to keep her safe and she didn't want to see anything bad happen to the young man.
"You know Loke better than the rest of us do Candi," Bambietta spoke to Candice. "Can you think of any reason why he would be leaving, anything at all?"
"If I did don't you think I would have brought it up already?" Candice said. "If you give me a minute to think about it, maybe I'll come up with something."
"You, thinking? That'll be a first." Liltotto said to as some levity to the situation.
Candice quickly bopped Liltotto on the head before she remained silent for a moment before she spoke. "Well... I might have something. Whenever I went to Loke's place he was always quick to cover up a picture. I was able to see enough of it once though. It was a woman with green hair."
"Well someone knows what he likes," Bambietta said before she looked at Jade. "It seems like he has a thing for ladies with green hair. Odds are if he lives through this he's gonna just flirt with you next."
"Oh please," Jade said with a roll of her eyes. "It's going to take more than some cheap pick up lines to get me in bed with some playboy wannabe."
"Wait...I think I may have an idea." Lucy said as she pulled out one of her sliver keys. "Before he left, Loke said, "at least now I've managed to make things right with at least one celestial wizard before I go." So I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that! Luckily for us, I have just the spirit for the job!" Swinging her key down she declared "Open, gate of the southern cross, Crux!"
Before their very eyes, what could best be described as a stone cross with arms, legs, and the face of an old man soon appeared in front of them. Ulquiorra slowly turning his head at the spirit. So this is a celestial spirit? How strange. It's reiatsu...is very similar to that Loke individual. Rather than say anything outright, however, he decided to keep it to himself. Throwing out such an accusation right now would do little to help find Loke anyways. Besides, Ichigo Kurosaki had hollow like energy and he was a soul reaper. For now, it was simply best to observe.
"This is Crux, though I like to call him Grandpa Crux," Lucy said to everyone before she faced her celestial spirit. "I need you to look up something for me, please," Lucy asked her spirit. "Could you use your power to find out which celestial wizards Loke's met in the past?"
The spirit said nothing as he closed his eyes and silence befell the small group. They waited for about 20 seconds... before the spirit started to snore. Bambietta spoke up. "Um Lucy, I think your spirit took a nap."
"Nah, he's just doing a search," Lucy said. "Just give him a few more seconds, he'll be awake any second now."
"Um, I wouldn't call snoring doing a search," Candice said. "Besides what's this old geezer gonna be good for anyways?"
"Listen, Grandpa Crux is an expert on celestial wizardry," Lucy told Candice. "He can tell you anything you wanna know about the different gates that connect the spirit world to the human world. He can even tell you about particular spirits, and which wizards have summoned them in the past. If there is anyone who's going to know about what's going on, it's him."
Crux's eyes soon opened and he let out a loud shout. Lucy walked over to her spirit then. "So did you find any info?"
"Yes, but regrettably, I cannot provide any extensive details as personal privacy laws do apply to the celestial spirit world." Crux told them.
Huh, learn something new every day. Liltotto thought as she and the others listened in.
"However I can tell you that Loke was once connected to a celestial wizard named Karen Lilica." Crux continued to speak.
Lucy gasped then as soon as she heard the news. "Karren Lilica? Are you sure?"
"Um...Do you know who that is?" Bambietta asked her girlfriend. "It's the first time I'm ever hearing the name."
"She was super famous a few years ago," Lucy told Bambietta. "I actually had the issue where she was profiled in Sorcerer Weekly...But she died on a job."
Oh, this bodes well. Candice thought sarcastically. "Well, what happened?"
"I don't know the details only that her master told her not to take it," Lucy answered. "She was a member of Blue Pegasus if I remember correctly." Lucy looked back at Crux then. "Grandpa Crux can you tell me the relationship between Loke and Karen?"
"I'm gonna bet you 100 jewel it's "She was the love of my life and I could do nothing to save her, the guilt of it all has eaten me away for years and now I can just no longer go on living!" or something like that." Bambietta briefly said dramatically before she rolled her eyes.
"Sorry but I'm afraid I've said all I can on the matter." Crux told the group.
"Oh come on!" Lucy yelled. "Can't you give me something more please!?" She asked Crux...only to see he was snoring again.
"Doing another search?" Levy asked Lucy.
Lucy sighed. "No, he's asleep this time."
Lucy continued to think about the situation as Candice began to scream. "GOD DAMN IT WE'RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE!"
"Hey, shouting isn't going to help anyone!" Bambietta yelled back.
"You're yelling at me!"
"Only because you started it!"
As Liltotto once again tried to intervene before a fight broke out, Lucy continued to wrack her brain for what they should try to do next, if she could think of something, anything to help them move forward...and then she remembered part of the conversation she and Loke had only a few minutes ago. "Hold on a minute."
"But personally...I kinda feel bad for shooting stars."
"Whys that?" Lucy asked.
"Well just think, once they fall from the sky, they can never return to heaven," Loke said sadly. "Doesn't that seem sad?"
"Fallen Star...He can't be." Lucy muttered to herself.
Does it seem she has come to the same conclusion as I have? Ulquiorra thought to himself.
"You got something Lu?" Levy asked.
"Yeah...And I think I know where he is too!" Lucy said.
"Alright, finally progress!" Candice said with a grin. "Now tell me where he is!"
The sound of a running Waterfall could be heard as the group headed to their destination. Low and behold, just as Lucy had predicted, there was Loke, standing before the massive stream of water along with a grave with the Blue Pegasus guild emblem plastered onto it, the name Karen Lilica clear for all to see.
"Well I'll be, she was right after all!" Candice said as she and the others landed behind Loke. "Oi, Loke! You have a lot of explaining to do!"
"Candice...Lucy, how did you guys find me?" Loke asked as he slowly turned around to face the group.
"You can thank detective Heartfillia over there!" Candice said as she pointed at Lucy behind her. "She's actually pretty smart despite being a blonde." She then frowned before she pointed that same finger at him. "Now I want the real story straight from you and I swear to god, if you tell me "I just need more sleep," I will kick your ass to the moon!"
Oh, she's pissed. Jade thought to herself.
"Please, Loke?" Lucy asked as she got closer to him. "We're all worried about you. Besides...I think I know what's going on." Lucy said before she grabbed one of Loke's hands. "The spirit Loke...No, that's not your real name is it? You're Leo the Lion aren't you?"
"Wait, WHAT!?" Bambietta and Candice shouted at the same time!
"This guy's a celestial spirit!?" Bambiette yelled as she pointed at Loke. "Are you serious!?"
"Huh, so that's why you don't have a refractory period," Candice said
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Bambietta yelled at her.
"YOU KNOW WHAT IM ABOUT!" Candice retorted.
"Well, I won't deny it," Loke said with a tip of his head. "But how did you find out?"
"Don't forget I'm a celestial wizard too, and I have contracts with a lot of spirits," Lucy said as she put her right hand on her hip. " It wasn't too hard to dig up the truth."
Yeah, maybe for you. Candice thought as she remembered the hours she had spent just trying to find him.
"Anyways, I think that's enough on "how we found you" and now for the "why you're dying" part of it all," Liltotto added.
"Yeah buddy, my girlfriend had to deal with some crap earlier today thanks to the stunt you pulled," Bambietta yelled. "I demand answers!"
"Maybe we should focus on that later and try to stop him from dying at all first?" Levy brought up. "We should probably go and get Wendy."
"I can try fixing him with some medical kido in the meantime." Rukia quickly followed up.
"There's no need for any of that," Loke said. "There's nothing you two could do for me anyway. This isn't a matter of healing." He then sighed, "Besides...it's what I deserve anyway."
"Loke, if there is anyone here that deserves to die around here, it's me," Bambietta said. "Trust me when I say nothing you've done can compare to some of the things I did in the past...or him for that matter," Bambietta said as she pointed at Ulquiorra. "No offense."
"There is no need for apologies, it's simply the truth," Ulquiorra told her.
"I think I see what the problem is," Liltotto said as she looked at Loke. "Your body is constantly leaking spiritual energy, and you can't stop it can you? It's a very minute amount, to the point I don't think any quincy would notice unless they really knew what they were looking for."
"That's how all spirits are when they're in our world," Lucy told Liltotto. "Just like how humans can't stay in the spirit world for too long the same goes for celestial spirits. it slowly saps away at the life force until they finally die. But what I don't understand is why Loke is still here. Normally whenever the owner of a gate key dies the contract between spirit and wizard is terminated. So when Karen died your contract should have ended and you would be sent back to your world. I've never heard of anything like this ever happening before, this just isn't how it's supposed to work!"
"I've been here for 3 years now," Loke said. "And your right that this isn't how this usually works... Most spirits can't even last one year but I've somehow managed to last as long as I have. But you see the thing is...I don't want to be saved. There's nothing you could do for me anyway. Unless I go back I'm as good as finished and I'm afraid you won't be able to open a gate for me even if you tried Lucy."
"What do you mean!?" Lucy yelled at him. "You don't have much time left as it is! Tell me why I can't just open up a gate for you to go back home!"
"I broke a fundamental law that applies to both wizard and sprit," Loke said as he looked back at Karen's grave. "And as a result, I was banished from the celestial spirit world for eternity.."
What the hell could he have done to practically get a death sentence? Jade wondered before her eyes widened in realization. "...You killed Karen, didn't you?"
"What!? Don't be ridiculous!" Bambietta said to Jade. "This guy couldn't kill a woman to save his life! That's not the kind of guy Loke is! Right Loke!?" Bambietta asked the spriit...only to be met with silence. "No fucking way."
"No, it's true," Loke said as he looked at them all. "I killed Karen."
At that moment, time seemed to freeze for everyone there. Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing, nor could Lucy, Levy, and Bambietta, who's jaw was currently a gap. Jade was looking at Loke with surprise and Ulquiorra still had a nonexpressive look on his face. Candice however, was the one to break the silence.
"There is no way you would have done that unless you had a good reason," Candice said as she got close to him. "Something tells me there's a huge story behind all this."
"She's right," Lucy said quickly. "There's no way he would have done something like that unless he had to! There has to be more to this than you're letting on!"
"I've known him for the 3 years he's been with us," Levy added. "Sure he's a bit of a wannabe casanova, but I know Loke's a good guy at heart!"
"You're not the only murderer here buddy," Bambietta said. "I'm sure your reasons for doing what you did are gonna be way better than mine."
"And I used to eat people," Lil added in.
"I agree. " Rukia also was quick to say. "I had to take the life of someone I loved to prevent the loss of more life...I'm sure that's why you must have done what you did."
Loke was shocked to hear that not only did no one present decide to shun him for what he did, but there were also 3 people here that had done things just as bad as he had, or even worse if he was to take their word for it. Odds were even Candice had blood on her hands considering she had said she used to work with Bambiettga and Liltotto in the past. Well, he was about to die anyway, and they had gone through so much to find him. They may as well know the truth.
"It's true that I had my reasons," Loke said. "About 3 years ago I used to be contracted to work with Karen, but I wasn't the only golden key she had. She also had Aries the ram. We were...very close."
Candice raised an eyebrow as she heard the change of tone in Loke's voice and took notice of the smile on his face. It wasn't like the kind he had given her the first time they met and used to get into her pants every time. No, this smile was genuine and full of compassion, just like his voice. Damn, he must have really cared about this Aries girl. Candice thought to herself.
"But while Karen was a very experienced wizard, she wasn't anything like you were Lucy," Loke said as he looked at the blonde. "I've seen how you've interacted with your spirits from time to time. You really care about them, and you don't like to see them get hurt more than necessary. You seem them as friends just not tools to be used. Karen though?" He slowly shook his head. "While she may have never been outright physically abused any of her spirits herself, that didn't make working with her anymore in blue pegasus, she was practically idolized by the male wizard who constantly flocked to her. Usually, she would just soak up all of the attention, but whenever they got too clingy, she would always pawn them off to Aries. Aries hated it, she made that very clear to Karen, but she didn't care, she just used her over and over again."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Jade said. "I mean, that's certainly a scummy thing to do, don't get me wrong, but trust me when I can say I've seen worse."
"If that was all it was, I could have just let it slide and tried to talk her out of it," Loke said before he clenched his fists. "But that's hardly all she did. Whenever she could...she used poor Aries as a shield to protect her from attacks."
You'll keep me safe, won't you Bambi chan?
Bambietta grit her teeth then as bitter memories of being used as a puppet came to mind. On more than one occasion she had been used in a similar fashion. She knew that pain very well."That's...inexcusable."It was taking a considerable amount of self-restraint to prevent her from destroying the gravestone before her eyes, Loke's predicament being the only thing that was stopping her from doing so. If that bitch wasn't dead and buried I'd beat her black and blue! Bambietta raged.
"...I take back what I said," Jade mentioned.
"Why the hell would you take a contract from someone like that?" Candice asked Loke. "I mean I know I'm not the nicest girl in the world but I'm not gonna do some bullshit like that!"
"I had no idea what kind of person she was when I accepted," Loke said. "Aries said that she was a nice master, and I just wanted to look after her, so I accepted. For the first 2 years, I worked for her, everything was fine. But then as the years of fame and fortune began to get to her head, she changed. She became haughty to the point where she felt she was the most important wizard in all of Blue Pegasus."
"So I take it you did something about this then?" Liltotto asked. "Did you kill her to protect Aries?"
"She wasn't killed by my hand...though it hardly matters," Loke answered. "I came to Karen one day and I demanded that she let me and Aries go from our contract. She refused. So...I decided to keep my gate opened. The longer I stayed in the human world the less magic she could use. I figured that sooner or later she would just finally given and let is go free." Tears then began to fall from his eyes as he continued to speak, his voice now cracking. "But she didn't! She couldn't afford to eat or stay anywhere after a few months and she took a mission that she couldn't handle! I should have just closed the gate after she said she would do better but I didn't believe her! I gave her no choice but to go on a mission that would risk her life, and because of me...she's dead!" He then fell to his knees, the man barely managing to keep things together. "Once someone dies, they're gone forever and there's nothing that can be done to change that. The only way I can make things right...is if I were to die too."
"Wait for a second, hold on," Candice said. "It seems to me that you were just looking out for Aries and things just got out of hand! It's not your fault! This is bullshit!"
"Yeah, it's not you're the one who stabbed her to death or some shit, she just took a mission that she should have known she couldn't handle!" Bambietta added. "That's not on you, that's on her!"
"I was almost executed for breaking the law," Rukia said. "While it was ultimately a scheme that a madman came up with to gain power, the fact remained that almost everyone in my "guild" believed that I deserved to be put to death...even my own brother. But if I hadn't done what I did, an entire family would have died. I was willing to accept my fate, but I felt no shame in what I did. But then...my friends came to my rescue." Rukia took one of Loke's hands then and pulled him up. "I know the pain you're going through! You have nothing to be ashamed of!"
"It means a lot for me to hear you all say that. It really does." Loke responded. " You especially Rukia. I had no idea that you went through something so similar... But that doesn't change anything I'm afraid. In the end, I'm still-" Just them, he fell to the ground once more, letting out a painful gasp as his body began to look transparent.
"Oh no, Loke!" Lucy shouted as she ran up to him. "What's going on!?"
"I guess this it. It's my time." Loke said as he looked at Candice. "I'm...sorry I didn't get to say goodbye properly earlier. But...thanks for-"
"You're not dying on my watch!" Candice said as she dragged Rukia over. "Heal! NOW!"
"I'll do what I can to slow it down!" Rukia said as one of her hands began to glow blue.
"Unless we get him back to his world his death is inevitable," Ulquiorra said.
"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Levy yelled back! "He'll die!"
"What is it that you suggest then?" Ulquiorra asked. "It's unfortunate, but there is nothing that you can do."
"That can't be true!" Levy said as tears formed in her eyes. "I can't...I can't just let him die!"
The arrancar could only tilt his head away. Once more did the illogical part of "the heart" appear before him. There was nothing any of them could do. The spirit's fate was good as sealed. As far as he could tell there was nothing that would change that.
"You can't just give up, you have to fight!" Lucy said as she tried to take hold of his hands...only for hers to slip through them. No, he's already...already...
The only one who could save him now is Orihime. Rukia thought as she stopped using her kido. "There's nothing I can do...I'm sorry."
"No! There has to be something you can do!" Candice yelled at Rukia. "You have to know something that could work right!?" Her eyes then went to Rukia's katana and the widened. "What if...what if you made him into a soul reaper!?"
"Candi, that is beyond desperate," Liltotto said. "To begin with, we don't know if that's even possible. He's a spirit, not a human."
"Not to mention the fact that I'm not even a true soul reaper," Rukia said as she shook her head. "I'm afraid the only thing that would happen...would be his death."
Candice could only look at Loke then with sadness evident in her eyes. Her fists now clenched in rage. No...Damn it all. Don't tell me...I'm really gonna lose him.
Loke was able to see how she felt however and he soon spoke up. "Hey, look, don't feel bad about this Candi. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Karen and what I did. I tried to stay distracted with my constant dates but...it was never enough. I've been waiting for this Candi. Now I'll finally be free from the guilt that's burdened me for all these years." He then gave her another one of his heartwarming smiles. "Still...out of all the girls I've met since Karen died...you helped ease my pain the most...I can't thank you enough for that."
"Damn it, Loke!" Candice yelled back at him, her face now full of fury. "We've all just told you how we've all fucked up at some point! My entire post-pubescent life could be viewed as a list of bad decision-making failures. You know how much I fucked up! I'm responsible for my own death! I drove 200 kilometers an hour at oncoming traffic, in the wrong lane with pouring rain and poor visibility! Do you know what I did after bit the big one? I freaked out. I saw my boyfriend cradling my dead body and I refused to believe that it was me. I..."
Candice looked pale as she recounted her past, the memories of decades gone by still seemed to haunt her even now. She stared at the ground then. "I pushed him off the bridge. I didn't mean to. It wasn't supposed to be like that but..."
She took a few deep breaths then, the quincy doing her best to collect herself before she continued. " I learned from a wise man with long hair and fond of long, boring lectures that your failures shape who you are. Your greatest failure will always haunt you till the day you day but that doesn't mean you should be begging for a swift early death because of it. No one gives a flying fuck how much you fucked up in the past as long as you learned to grow from it. I knew an orange-haired asshole who looked exactly like you who didn't know the meaning of defeat."
"...She speaks the truth," Ulquiorra added.
Bambietta, on the other hand, could only look at Candice in shock. Candice never talked about her past before. I never knew Candi had it so bad before she joined the Vanden.
It certainly explains a lot. Liltotto thought. But if that's the case...then I don't know how well she'll take what's about to happen next.
Loke could only shake his head then. "I never knew that you had it so rough Candice. Maybe there is some truth to what you're saying but...it hardly matters now. In the end...I can't change my fate." He slowly turned his head then to look at Lucy. "I want to thank you as well, Lucy, before I go. Seeing how kind you've been to me despite how I've treated you, and how well you treat your own spirits, you've restored my faith in Celestial Wizards."
"Wait, I can still save you, you can't give up!" Lucy yelled as well.
"Please..."Loke said weakly as his body began to fade even more. "Tell everyone in Fairy Tail I said goodbye."
Bambietta could only look on as her girlfriend began to cry, tears falling to the ground. "Lucy," She placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, much as she had earlier in the morning to comfort her. There was nothing they could do now, the quincy knew. But at the very least she would stay here till the very end. Not just to support her girlfriend through this terrible tragedy but to see Loke off to the very end. In the end, he was just doing everything he could to keep his friend safe...That's something I've come to value more than anything else. You really are a good man, Loke.
"It's not fair! I won't let you die!" Lucy said as she stood up. "All you have to do is go back to the celestial world and your life force will be restored, right!? There has to be a way I can send you back!"
"I'm afraid it's impossible," Loke told her. "This isn't something you can just wish for. I'm being punished for breaking a serious crime for causing the death of my contract holder."
"Even so...it isn't right!" Lucy yelled back. "You didn't kill Karen, it was just an accident! Everybody else said that you weren't to blame and their right!" She then grabbed hold of the spirit as best as she could as she tried to forcibly open his gate. "Open, gate of the lion! Take Leo back to the celestial world! Please! Open!"
"Lucy, you have to stop...it's not going to work," Loke said to the crying blonde. "It's ok really-"
"It's not ok!" Lucy interrupted. "I can't just sit here while my friend disappears right before my eyes!" Yelling out with a scream, a golden light soon engulfed them both, her magic shooting out into the sky! "OPEN, GATE OF THE LION!" The young woman began to scream in pain then as bolts of electricity began to swarm around them.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened then as he sensed Lucy's spiritual pressure skyrocketed far beyond what it was normally capable. The woman who was previously only comparable to a fraccion was now stronger than the likes of Syzaelaparo Granz and Zoomari. In fact, it was beginning to even approach the likes of Grimmjows! It seems that magical power and one's emotions truly are connected after all. Levy had mentioned it to him in the past, but seeing it with his own eyes was another matter entirely.
"Lucy you can't!" Bambietta yelled as she tried to touch her, only for the quincy to be shocked by the golden light, causing her to get knocked back. Not to let pain stop her however she quickly got back up and she tried to pull Lucy away. "Your spiritual pressure is getting out of control, your body can't handle it!"
"I don't care!" Lucy yelled back at Bambietta. "If I can just open up the gate-"
"You'll die!" Bambietta shouted. "I'm not going to lose you!"
"Listen to Bambietta!" Loke insisted
"No, I'm going to do this!" Lucy insisted. "Whatever it takes, I'm gonna save you, Loke! I'll open your gate, I won't give up! I promise I'm gonna get you back to the Celestial world even if it's the last thing I do!"
"It's too dangerous!" Loke yelled back.
"Lucy, please!" Bambietta begged
"OPEN, GATE OF THE LION!" Lucy's body began to become transparent as well then, a powerful gust of wind now added to the intense light and electricity. "I have to do this Bambi! What's the point of magic power if you can't save the people you care about!?"
"Lucy, please I'm not worth it!" Loke agreed. "I can't have someone else die because of me, not again!"
"You didn't kill her!" Lucy yelled. "Whoever said that you were responsible needs to realize that they were wrong!"
Just then, the magical vortex that had surrounded the three wizards then vanished, the sky above them seemed to be twisting, the stars themselves moving as if they were in a blender of sorts.
"Um. What's happening?" Jade asked with worry.
"I...I don't know." Liltotto answered, the petite quincy not used to seeing something that confused her as much as this was. It's as if space itself is being warped!
"I've got a baaad feeling about this," Bambietta said.
Every single spiritually aware being was then hit by a massive amount of spiritual pressure, the likes of which had never been sensed by anyone since they had arrived in this world. Massive. That was the only word to give what they were feeling justice. To the quinces, there was only one person that this power was comparable to.
Oh my fucking god, it's like Yhwach is trying to crush us with his own power! Bambietta was freaking out. Whoever or whatever was causing this she didn't know, but one thing was clear. They were hopelessly outmatched by whatever was coming. This is bad! This is really, really freaking bad!
"It's as if...the head captain himself is coming," Rukia said with fear in her eyes, her legs now shaking like twigs in a fierce wind storm.
"What the fuck!? What the actual fuck is going on!?" Candice was yelling. She was feeling something she hadn't felt since she had come to this new world. Fear. Candice knew a losing battle when she sensed it and this was it. She clearly wasn't the only one as she noticed Liltotto fell to her knees, the quince's eyes wide with panic as she struggled to keep her composure.
This is...far too much! Liltotto feared. Even if she used her voilstandig...no, even if they had the entire guild on their side with their full power intact, they couldn't hope to compare to something like...this!
Even the ever calm Ulquiorra Cifer was taken aback by this power as Levy hid behind him, the sheer immensity of the sensation totally overwhelming all other sensory input. To call the source of spiritual energy 'massive' would have been entirely accurate, but completely insufficient. It made him feel small just to be near it. It was like every fiber of his being was being overwhelmed, like he was a splinter of wood dropped into a volcano. He might have called it like staring down a mountain, except he felt like the mountain had already been dropped on him and his being crushed was just a matter of when not if. Even with Segunda Etapa...I wouldn't begin to compare to this power. To his knowledge, the only being he could compare this to was none other than his former master Sousuke Aizen...and even that may not have been accurate.
"What's going on!?" Lucy asked with fear.
"This is...this impossible." Loke stuttered. "It's...it's him!"
"What!? What the fuck is coming over!?" Bambietta demanded.
Finally, the sky above them stopped warping as the water all around them began to part, the stars seeming to vanish into a black hole. Emerging from the gaping void was a massive humanoid being, with blue skin, pure red eyes, and a white mustache that would have even put the likes of the quincy kaisers to shame. he was clad in armor, [bits and pieces of it green, gold, and silver in design with an open helmet with a massive star in the middle of it. He was looking down at the assembled group of mages, the frown on his face making it clear that he was not pleased.
"By Yhwach's mustache, what is that thing?!" Bambietta yelled.
"That's...the Celestial Spirit King." Loke stuttered. He still couldn't believe that he was here even now. "What in the heck is he doing here!?"
"He's the king? Like the ruler of the celestial world?" Lucy asked.
"Ok, that's big...that's very very big," Candice said as she took a step back.
"Well, it's been nice knowing you all," Liltotto said as she took her hat off.
How interesting. To think that this world possessed such powerful beings.
Jade's eyes widened as she heard the voice in the back of her head. She shook her head then, trying to focus on the here and now. Now is NOT the time for you to be messing with my head asshole! She thought, hoping to silence Aizen's voice.
"Hello, my old friend." The Spirit King's voice boomed. "As you well know, both wizards and spirits must obey celestial law, and taking the life of a keyholder is forbidden under any circumstance. Though not by your hand, you are still responsible for your key holder's death, Leo the lion. Therefore you have been banished from the Celestial World for eternity.
The inhabitants from another world remained silent, as did Levy and Jade. What on earth could any of them do or say to a being like this? They had no authority with him. He was the ruler of his world and with more than enough power to back it up. As far as they were concerned there was nothing that they could say or do to convince him otherwise. Trying to take him on in battle would be straight up suicidal...Which was why Bambietta was surprised to see what her girlfriend did next.
Lucy stood up in defiance, her face one of rage as she yelled "Hold on, that doesn't found fair at all!"
"Lucy, what are you doing!?" Bambietta demanded. "I know you can't sense power as we can, so let me say this right now, that we are hopelessly fucked if we upset this guy!"
"Lucy, she's right, you don't know what you're doing!" Loke agreed.
"Old friend, human girl, I have made my judgment and it stands. Leo has broken a Celestial Law, therefore he must be punished."
No way, did he show up just 'cause Lucy blurted out something about him being wrong!? Loke thought. That's crazy, why would he care what she thinks!?
"Lokes' been suffering in the human world for three long years! He didn't kill Karen but he stood up to her! Because someone had to protect Aries!" Lucy yelled at the king.
"I must say, I find it heartbreaking to see my old friend in such fragile condition." The king replied. "But the law is the law."
"What is wrong with you!?" Lucy yelled at him. "An "old friend" is still a friend, right? Well, there's one in front of you right now who needs a 2nd chance, so open your eyes, 'stache face!"
"'Stache face?" The king replied, astonished by the name.
"Karen died because she took on a job she couldn't handle! He had nothing to do with it! You have to change your verdict because he's innocent!"
"Lucy, seriously, stop it!" Bambietta yelled at her. "This guy isn't anything like Jose, he's way-"
"I don't care how strong he is!" Lucy yelled back. "That doesn't change the fact that this whole thing...is wrong!"
Bambietta could only stare at her girlfriend in disbelief. There was no way that they could win this, Lucy had to have known that...but even still, she stood up for Loke, someone who she had slapped just the day prior. However, as Bambietta was dumbfounded by Lucy's actions her eyes soon landed on the fairy tail guild mark on Lucy's hand, Bambietta's eyes widened then before she smirked. Of course, how could I be so stupid?
Bambietta slowly made her approach over to Lucy then, the quincy brandishing her sword and pointing it at the king. "Listen, Mr mustache, Loke's one of us, spirit or not! Us Fairy Tail guild members tend to stick together through thick and thin no matter what! So if you think we're just gonna sit here and watch him die, think again!"
"I gotta admit, your girlfriend really is something Bambi," Candice spoke as she strolled up next to them. "To think I was shaking in my boots for a second while your girlfriend just got up and decided to tell the king of her own damn spirits to go and shove it." She gave Lucy a grin then as she formed her bow in her left hand. "You got some real guts in ya, I gotta say. So how's about I lend you both a hand?"
"We're all so going to die, you know that right?" Liltoto said as she walked over to them, brandishing her own bow as she did so. She looked up at Bambi and Candice then and smiled. "Still...I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You can count me in too," Levy said as she joined them. "It's like you said Bambi, us Fairy Tail wizards stick together."
"I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't join you all," Rukia said as she prepared her Shikai. "On my honor as a member of the Kuchiki clan, and as a fairy tail mage."
"...Oh, fuck it' I've lived a good enough life," Jade said as she stood next to Candice, her guns now aimed at the king. At least this way...I'll die without any regrets.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," Candice said with a wink.
Ridiculous. This is completely ridiculous. Ulquiorra thought as he watched everyone stand their ground against the king. We have absolutely no chance of winning this battle, nor is it likely that our words alone will be able to convince him...yet they're still willing to risk their lives for a comrade that they have admitted that they weren't too fond of the day prior with the exception of Miss Catnipp. So why then? Why risk throwing your life away for such a trivial thing? Was this what following one's heart would lead to? Throwing out logic and reason just to grasp hold of a nonexisting hope? There was no way to possibly overcome this obstacle. It was impossible.
But then something happened that defied his expectations. Once more did Lucy's spiritual pressure grow, but it was far beyond what it had been moments ago. It continued to rise further and further as each of her spirits was summoned behind them all. Tarrus, Aquarius, Sagittarius, Virgo, Cancer, Plue, Crux, Horologium, and Lyra. Her power wasn't like Zoomari's as it had been...Now it was on par with his own first release form!
"Loke disappearing won't bring Karen back to life!" Lucy screamed. "All it's gonna do is create more sadness! I refuse to believe that Loke did anything wrong because it can't be a crime to protect the people you care about!"
I...I can't believe it. Loke thought as he watched on. She summoned all of those spirits...no one has ever managed to summon so many before except for...Anna! His eyes then widened as he looked at Lucy. Wait a minute...then she must be-
"You tell him, Lucy!" Bambietta said as she held Lucy's hand. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"
'"Yeah, all for one and one for all!" Candice yelled.
"Because we-" Levy said.
"Are-" Rukia added
"FAIRY TAIL!" Everyone sans Loke and Ulquiorra yelled out.
"What about all of your friends!?" Lucy yelled back at Loke. "You're just gonna leave them behind?"
"If you were to die you would leave me, Lucy Aries, and all of your other friends here behind! Do you think any of us want that to happen! Huh!?" Candice demanded.
Loke was overcome with emotion as he looked at everyone standing before him. they were all risking their lives now just for him, even his old comrades from 3 years ago. I can't...I can't let this all go to waste! Loke thought as he got up to his feet. "Please your majesty, give me another chance. If not for me...then for all of them."
"Hmm. Hearing you speak so fondly of my old friend has led me to think that maybe it shouldn't be his actions, but the law itself that should be in question." The king spoke. "Leo was forced to commit his crime to protect Aries, his brethren, while the celestial wizard and all her friends are willing to risk their lives to save Leo. I am so moved by your bonds of loyalty that I shall make an exception in this case. Leo the Lion, you are hereby granted return passage to the Celestial Spirit World."
Loke's mouth as a gap as he heard the king's words. It was over...he could finally go home. He could see Aries...He could live.
"Your so awesome!" Lucy said as she gave him a thumbs up! "Thank you so much!"
The king merely gave everyone a wide grin before he spoke one last time. "You are exonerated. Be grateful for all those who risked it all for you." And so, the Spri Kings body began to fade away, the night sky and waterfall turning back to normal.
Loke could only turn around and simply said. "Lucy, Candice...Everyone...Thank you."
"Eh doesn't worry about it, it's the least I could do for all the fun times we had together," Candice said with a grin. "Now go on back home and go see Aries, I'm sure she's worried sick about you!"
"Yeah...you're probably right. But still...thanks for everything." Loke said before he faced Lucy. "Lucy...take this." He said before he grabbed something from his pocket. Lucy was quick to take it, and she soon gasped as soon as she saw what it was. "This is...your gate key!"
"If anyone deserves to have this, it's you," Loke said with a smile. "It would be my honor to serve under you."
"I...I.." Lucy wasn't sure what to say before Bambiettga interjected.
"Just as long as you keep my girlfriend safe and don't try any moves on her, you got yourself a deal!" Bambietta said with a grin.
Lucy looked back at Bambi and then to loke Before she smiled. "Ok, you got yourself a deal."
Loke could only give Lucy one more smile before he waved as he vanished, the spirit finally returning to the Celestial World. "Thank you all...for everything!"
Bambietta let out a sigh of relief then as she fell down along with Lucy, her girlfriend's magical power completely spent. "Oh thank god that's over!" She said as she took a deep breath.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna take a nice long bath when I get home," Candice said. "I could use some serious rest after that."
"I'm just gonna sleep," Jade said.
"I'm surprised you're ok with this," Liltotto said to Candice.
"Huh, why's that?" Candice asked.
"Well, you went through so much trouble to find Loke and now...he's gonna be with someone else now. Doesn't that bother you?" The petite Quincy asked.
"Lil, Lil, Lil. There are plenty of fish in the seas for me to still catch." Candice said as she rubbed her small friends' head affectionately. "Sure he was my favorite, sure we had a lot of fun over the past month, and sure, I'm gonna miss him, but right now I'm just glad he's gonna be ok. Besides, he went through a lot of crap for that Aries chick so I'd say they earned their happy ending." She then chuckled. "I am many things Lil, but a homewrecker isn't one of them."
Well, good to see that someone has standards. Bambietta thought. A part of her was still concerned about her green-haired friend with what she had said about her past, and she had no doubt that Liltotto was likely thinking the same...but that could wait for tomorrow. Right now all she wanted was some rest.
Candice, Jade, and Rukia had already left, and Levy soon found herself walking over to Ulquiorra. "Are you ready to go?"
"I am," Ulquiorra said as he looked over to levy. "However, tomorrow I wish to speak to your guild master about joining Fairy Tail."
"Really? That's great!" Levy said with a smile. "But...what made you decide that you wanted to join now?"
"Tonight's events have made three things very clear to me," Ulquiorra stated. "The first is the fact that one's magical power and their emotions are clearly connected. Lucy Heartfillia demonstrated this not just once, but twice. The 2nd is that it is quite clear to me that I have much more to learn about the heart. You stood up for Loke against impossible odds despite the fact that you weren't significantly close. Yet it was this very act that convinced the king to spare Loke's life, which leads me to my final point, that if there is anywhere that I could learn about the heart, it is your guild."
"I'll introduce you first thing tomorrow morning," Levy said. She then looked over at her two friends. "You guys need a ride? You seemed to have got hurt by Lucy's little stunt a bit there Bambi."
"Oh, I'm more mentally exhausted than anything else," Bambietta said. "Just give me a minute and we'll be back home, safe and sound."
Levy nodded her head in understanding before she took Ulqiorra's hand, leaving the two Fairy Tail wizards to stare up in the sky once more. Bambietta slowly turned her face to look at Lucy, who was sound asleep, no doubt from all the magic she had used moments before. "Man. I really am lucky to have someone like you' aren't I?" Bambietta said to herself. "You were really awesome back there, standing up to old stache face like that. I'd never have the guts to do something like that...Not for someone, I knew as well as I did Loke anyways." She smiled as she looked up back at the stars., "You, Wendy, Levy, Rukia, and Erza, as well as all my old friends sure. But everyone else? I just don't think I have it in me. But...I think that really makes you special Lucy, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Getting up to her feet, Bambietta knelt down and picked up Lucy, the quincy smiling as she looked down at her sleeping beauty. "But don't you worry about a thing Lucy. I'll always be here for you...no matter what." And then with a burst of hirenkyaku, they were gone.
Little did our heroes know however that someone had been watching the events play out with great interest. For staring down below them undetected by anyone, even the celestial spirit king was none other than the quincy Kaiser himself Yhwach. He had been here well before anyone else had arrived by a good 5 minutes, however, the quincy monarch having known to have been here before anyone else. His hand scruffled against his chin then as he looked downwards. "So, that was the Celestial Spirit King. He is a most powerful individual indeed."
"But you knew that already, didn't you father?"
Yhwach didn't need to turn around to know that Mette had arrived. No one else would have dared to have called him anything else other than his majesty. She slowly walked over to him then, a smile on her face. "Did it all go according to your vision?" She asked.
"One of the many that I have seen yes." He answered as he slowly turned around to face his only child of blood. Ever since he had arrived in this world 20 years ago, he had only been able to access his almighty powers without risk during one moment in time. His sleep. Every night, he was able to see 10 years into the future of a potential timeline. No more, no less. No, that wasn't quite true either. He hadn't been able to access his quincy powers at all when he first arrived in this world. He had only been able to access them after thirteen years...and it came at a terrible cost. A cost too unbearable even for him.
"How was your trip to Fiore?" He asked Mette. "Did you enjoy your sightseeing?"
"Oh, Fiore really is quite beautiful," Mette answered. "Unlike Bosco, the forests here are full of life! Not to mention how nice everyone is to each other. I can hardly believe how different it all is. We really should come here again."
"All in due time Mette," Yhwach told her. "The invasion of Bosco begins tomorrow. Once we bring freedom to our people, we can consider another trip like this."
"Oh, yes of course," Mette said as she blushed from embarrassment.
"Now then, how were they?...the special war powers?"
"I wasn't able to find all of them, unfortunately. " Mette spoke before she frowned. "Acnologia and Zeref were impossible to locate, whereas August, Irene, and Dimaria all reside in Alverz so meeting them was an impossibility. Nor did I wish to risk an encounter with God Serena, Gildarts clive, or Jurgram Hatchwald. But the rest? I was able to get at least a few things figured out about them."
Using her shirft, Mette was able to conjure about replicas of those she had encountered or had at least watched from a distance. She walked over to the closest one then, before she spoke.
"Etherious Natsu Dragneel, chosen for his flames with the potential to melt anything, even time itself. Brother of the 2nd war potential Zeref Dragneel, and the most powerful demon of Tartarous. His memories of his brother appear to be nonexistent, nor is he able to access his full demonic powers. However, I am positive that he will reach the potential we'll need him to obtain when the time comes.
She then walked over to the next one. "Erza Scarlet, chosen for her latent ability, combat instinct, and her versatility in battle. She's also the daughter of one of the other Special War powers, Irene Belserion. Like Natsu, it appears that she has no knowledge of her heritage. She possesses enough power to fight a soul reaper captain and still has exponential room for growth. If she were to learn how to tap into her latent abilities she would become a warrior with almost no equal."
Once more did she move on. "Lucy Heartfilia, chosen for the use of the Celestial God keys and summoning of the spirit king, just as the same as war potentials Hisui E Fiore and Yukino Aguria. While currently, the weakest of the war powers besides Miss Aguria, her assistance in the war is essential if we are to access the realm of the gods. Furthermore, should she unlock the full powers of her fullbring, along with the star dresses, she could be a force to be reckoned with."
She moved on yet again. "Meninas Mcallon, chosen for unrivaled physical power. She is already extremely powerful but should she reach her full potential, almost no being would be able to withstand her strength Then there is Liltotto Lamperd, chosen for her intelligence. Should she put her mind to it, her brain could be a serious hindrance to our cause or a significant help as well as her ability to gain more powers. We also have Candice Catnipp and her potential for unlimited speed.
Once more did she walk forward. "Jade Ladro, chosen for being the vessel of Aizen Sousuke. His power and Zanpaktou could change the tide of battle. As of now, it seems her loyalties seem to be the closest to Candice Catnipp or Emberella."
She moved over to one last person. "Finally, we move onto the possibly most dangerous of all the war potentials, Bambietta Basterbine. Her shrift alone would have qualified her as a position if not for how it was weakened by her goddess...however, when the gods bestowed her the power of the former goddess of destruction, her threat level increased drastically. Obtaining her aide, along with the celestial wizards is essential."
"It is a shame that we still do not know the identity of the other chosen one from the other side of the divine conflict." Yhwach mused. "It is irrelevant as of this moment, however. Do you believe that any of them can be convinced to lend us their aid?"
"Given their moral values, it's hard to say," Mette said. "Their desire to not take life will no doubt clash with our cause. It is unfortunately not a matter of if they will intervene with our plan, but only when...and if they can be shown the light." She then sighed. "Personally, I'd rather not fight them at all. They all seem rather nice."
"War is never pleasant Mette," Yhwach informed her. "Innocent lives will always be lost in the crossfire of war, no matter which side emerges the victor." He then slowly shook his head. "Unlike the soul reapers, it brings me no pleasure to kill any of them. Four of them were my subordinates from my original home who I had regrettably mistreated. But if we are to make the peaceful world that your mother desired...then we will do what we must."
"Even so...I just wish there was another way," Mette said sadly. "Mother wouldn't like this...not this way."
Yhwach said nothing as he placed a hand on Mette's shoulder before he looked into her eyes. "Your mother was the person to remind me what it was like to be loved, to melt my cold heart into what it is now. She was the only woman that I have ever felt such feelings for. I am well aware that this isn't how she would want it...but this world has left me no choice. The day the goddess of despair took your mother away from me was the day I knew what had to be done. If you wish not to stain your hands with blood I will not force you." He then gave Mette a smile before he continued. "You are the greatest gift your mother has given to me, my only child. You are my daughter, not my subordinate. So what you do from here on out...is your choice."
Mette was silent before she shook her head. "No...I know what must be done. I will do what I can to bring about the world Mom always used to talk about. It'll hurt...but I'll do what I can, without taking as much life as possible."
"As you wish," Yhwach said as the shadows began to engulf them. "Now then, let us be off...to slay the one that started it all."
Well, a lot of stuff sure happened here didn't it? Sorry, I didn't get it out to you all sooner, but I think you can see why it took so long.
From finding out about Loke's past to learning about who the new Special War Powers are, and learning more of Yhwachs' motivation, I feel like there is a lot to be discussed here. That's not even counting all of the stuff I did with Candice, and Ulquiorra here too. I'm really eager and excited to see what you all have to say about this because I really put a lot of hard work into this. It really would mean a lot if you left a review to show me your support.
Though for all of you wondering why I made the changes that I have with Yhwach. It's quite simple really. I feel the more you can relate with a villain, the better they are. He'll still be the badass that he was from the Thousand Year Blood War, and he'll be merciless to his enemies, but I felt that this was needed to make him more compelling.
Also for those of you wondering why I placed the Celestial Spirt King near Yhwach and Yammato's level despite him not defeating Mard Geer, it's actually really simple. I'm under the belief that when he thought Mard Geer, he wasn't at his full power because Lucy was the one who had summoned him. Here however he was summoned under his own power so he is at his full strength. That said he while he isn't as powerful as Yhwach and Yamamoto at their best (Certainly not Yhwach with the Soul King absorbed) but he's around the same ballpark at least as far as this story is concerned.
That's all I have to say for now. See you next time!
Celestial Spirit King MPF: Unknow, at least over 190,000.
