Mirajane Strauss was someone Zangetsu was aware of, but did not know deeply. She was unerringly sweet and caring, with seemingly endless patience for them. Though having heard how many Fairy Tail members had needed to be taught how to read and write, they realized it wasn't too surprising. She provided food, drink, and booze, though the zanpakuto hardly ever requested the latter. The white-haired woman was the one to introduce them to Levy, never disturbed their sleep outside of mealtimes, and went out of her way to try cooking food she thought they might like. Thus, the spirit liked her.
She was a staple of the guild, greeting everyone with a beaming smile even when everyone was forced to funnel into the basement. Someone had wrecked the guild hall proper the other night, which had prompted concern in the Quincy, but nothing from the Hollow. If the one to do it didn't have the balls to attack anyone outright, then they were just a coward who didn't even know how to intimidate properly. The culprit knew where the guild hall was, boo hoo, so did everyone in the country. Oh no, they had the perfect excuse to have the Magic Council pay for repairs for once. Most of the guild was angry over it, and the Hollow could only feel the meager respect they had for them shrivel slightly because of it. Mirajane, however, was the one to keep several of the members in line, reminding them time and again that it was only pieces of wood. Because of that, Zangetsu's respect for her never waned.
Despite their affection and respect for the woman, there was always a comfortable gap between them. Neither of them pushed in the friendship they had. He kept Team Natsu and Levy safe, and she rewarded that with food and undisturbed rest. Which was why it had been so surprising, to everyone, when the woman asked if the blade could accompany her home that night. She had posed the question when Lucy and Levy were readying to leave, to the apparent shock of the two girls. After exchanging a glance, they had deferred to Zangetsu, and received a noncommittal shrug for it. With that as their answer, the girls had agreed there was no issue with the beast joining the bartender.
So, they had waited for her to finish her shift. They rested the time away in the corner they claimed for Levy in the basement. Everyone else had complained about the heat in the basement, the tighter space forcing everyone to pack themselves closer together. Not Zangetsu though. The blade longed for it as wizards filtered out. They only realized because so many made their goodbyes known to them as they left. Cana was the last to leave, and the only one the Hollow would forgive for waking them. Mostly by virtue of how she was so egregiously plastered that the zanpakuto was impressed by her ability to climb the stairs out of the basement.
The walk to Mirajane's home was one spent in silence. The spirit could walk on his own, but it was a conscious effort that conversation would only distract from. Meanwhile, the woman he walked with seemed content to stroll along with her hands clasped behind her. She did hum pleasantly, which the Hollow found oddly soothing, but there were no words exchanged between them. She took them to a comfortable-looking house, and let him inside first after unlocking the front door. The spirit entered the abode, though didn't really take in the surroundings. There was comfortable-looking furniture, and the blade wondered where Mirajane would ask them to sleep due to it. However, the majority of their focus was on why the white-haired woman spontaneously sought their company. The bartender locked the door after her, and strode over to what the zanpakuto realized was a kitchen area. With nothing else to do, they lurched over and fell into a chair sat at a table nearby. True to what they figured, Mirajane started pulling out cookery and ingredients for a meal.
"You know…" Her voice was soft as she worked in front of a counter, her back to the spirit. "I've known since you first arrived with Lucy that you weren't a demon." Zangetsu decided to lean forward, rest their crossed arms on the table, and their chin atop that. With the woman more familiar than most with their speaking difficulties, they figured they were to only listen. "You could call me something of an expert when it comes to demon souls, and you definitely didn't fit the bill. So when Lucy came back from the Quest with you and told me you were something called a Hollow, I was just about the only person not surprised." The woman playfully pointed at them with a ladle as she spoke her next words. "In fact, it made me feel like I knew more about you than anyone else in Fairy Tail." She giggled before turning to the stove. "We respect each other's privacy, here in Fairy Tail, but that doesn't mean we don't get curious. You're definitely one of the most unique things to come in through the doors, and just about everyone wants to know more about you." She paused to take a steadying breath, and the blade tilted their head. "But some things are just fine staying in the past." The Quincy wondered what happened in hers that she was content to keep buried, but the zanpakuto certainly agreed with the sentiment.
"No one knows what a Hollow is." The bartender continued, grabbing a bottle from the counter, removing the cork, and pouring all of its contents into the pot before her. "No one's found any mention of it in a book or legend, no one can figure out what the deal is with your sword, and the dragon slayers of the guild clam up whenever we ask about what their senses tell them about you. We wouldn't care all that much about it normally, case in point, everyone's content to assume Happy is just a cat that happens to talk and use magic. But then you came back from the Galuna Island Quest." A more sorrowful note appeared in her tone. "A lot of people in the guild can recognize the behavior of a wounded or sick animal, and everyone's worried about you because of it. Lucy and Levy told me they're even researching diseases to see if you picked something up on the island." White locks swayed as she shook her head. "Then Gray asked me if we had any Quests offering Lacrima as rewards after he apologized to you, and it all clicked for me." Mirajane pulled away from the stove with a bowl in hand, and walked over to the table, sitting opposite Zangetsu as she set it down in front of them. At first, they grasped the bowl and slid it closer mindlessly, but a moment to look it over had them sitting straight up while peering at the faintly glowing noodles within.
"Liquefied Magical Energy isn't the easiest thing to come by, but certain magical items use it to function. I don't think anyone's considered the idea of putting it into food." She leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. "But then again, not even dragon slayers can eat magical energy outright." They spared a glance her way before tipping the bowl into their mouth. "Team Natsu told me about your little explanation in the cave, too. 'A Hollow is one who has lost their heart'. Combined with all of those soul-related abilities Laxus told me about, I think I realized what's got you so tired." She rested a hand supportively on one of their forearms. "You don't regenerate Magic like we do, do you? The only way for you to stay topped up is to eat more." The Hollow growled mid-slurp. With the extra energy gained from what they've consumed, he felt comfortable providing some explanation for her.
"…Do…come…back." He breathed. Sapphire eyes blinked as the woman sitting opposite them tilted her head cutely. How to explain in a way she would understand… "…Spell…drains…more." She sucked in a breath as she bodily straightened, her eyes pouring over their body. Thankfully, she had long since made her intelligence clear, and there was no immediate demand for if there was any way to stop the 'spell'. Obviously, if there was, they'd have likely done it by now.
They finished the bowl and handed it back to her, the woman automatically standing up to deposit it into the sink. There was a distracted air to her now, surely her scouring her memory for anything that could stop the 'spell'. They liked her too much to leave her to such a fruitless endeavor.
"…You…want…help?" He asked. The bartender jumped at their words, instantly coming up to the table with eager eyes. "…Need…more." He stated.
"More magic-infused meals?" Fell from her lips, though not with any sense of despair. "W-well, I was going to start doing that for all of your meals once I was sure it worked." They shook their head.
"…Not…more." They lifted their hands to pantomime. Their right remained lower, palm up, while their left hovered above it palm down, and lifted slowly. "…Big." It was at that a small flash of anguish went across her face.
"How big?" If her comment about how difficult it was to acquire was any indication, it was no doubt an expensive thing to consider. Unfortunately, Zangetsu had no good answer for her. For multiple reasons. How was he to explain how much reiatsu he would need to outpace what they burned through? The Quincy offered an idea, and he jumped on it without hesitation.
They shifted their hands around once more, this time to poke the first finger of their left hand at the shred of cloth on their right shoulder.
"…Shows…Ma…gic." They attempted to impart. For emphasis, they tugged on it slightly. Confusion dressed the woman's features. "…Less…means…gone." They tried, covering part of the cloth to portray it disappearing.
"…Less…means…" The contemplative look on her face slowly melted into shock and dread. "Your clothes reflect how much magical energy you have?" Whispered from her. They nodded to confirm it, watching as sapphire eyes once again poured over their form, no doubt trying to resolve how much was missing. Eventually, her gaze fell onto the strip of cloth still remaining and ended its journey there.
"Laxus was complaining about how he was barely able to singe your sleeve…" A shudder tore through her voice as she realized the colossal amount of reiatsu he must have. Pools of blue widened further as yet another revelation came to her. "You barely had a sleeve when you first came…" Finally, she stared into the empty pits of their mask, tears beading in the corners of her eyes. "You've been running on fumes since you've been here!" Mirajane lunged forward, grasping their shoulders. "There has to be something I can do beyond those meals! I won't stand here and watch knowing that you're barely keeping yourself standing!" Something desperate filled her words, her voice cracking with raw emotion. It made the zanpakuto sick, and not because there were no other solutions.
It was because there was.
'Hollow…' The Quincy warned.
'I won't.' He firmly declared. 'Not to her. …But, we need it. We need something. We can compromise, though.' He lifted their left hand, and softly grasped her arm with it, maintaining a meaningful stare with the bartender. Their right came up slowly, until the tip of their first finger was pressed against the top of her chest.
"…Ma…gic…in…side." The words were forced out. "…Part…of…you." The woman snapped her gaze between the finger against her chest and the eyeholes of their mask, visibly lost.
"I-I-I don't-are you asking to eat my magic?" She stuttered. "L-like all of my magic?!" He shook his head aggressively, which seemed to calm her somewhat.
"…Sip." He felt the word did more justice, both for helping her understand and for keeping her calm. His right hand moved until his finger traced along the inside of her wrist. "…Blood." Her shoulders sank as a breath left her, her jaw having fallen open and her eyes stuck wide.
A moment later, she shook her head wildly, all traces of shock being thrown away. Far more determined blue eyes met their black pits.
"You're certain my blood can help you?" They nodded without hesitation. They had never bothered to ask why she kept to maintaining the guild, but they could sense that she was comparable in strength to Erza. The Hollow felt he could drink enough to steadily recover without harmful effects to her. "I see. Using my Magic to save someone's life…" She mumbled under her breath with a scoff. "Who'd've thought?" Mirajane stood, pulling them up with her as she turned and began striding through the house. The blade made a noise of confusion.
"If you're going to drink my blood, then I'm going to end up getting tired." She informed, still pulling them along. "So we're going to go to my room first. That way I don't have to try fumbling my way around and worrying my brother." The zanpakuto tilted their head. She had a brother? News to them.
They were brought to a bedroom decorated in impressive amounts of pink and plush. The color was so glaring that they weren't able to disregard it like they did most of the room. Spotting a nightstand next to a large fluffy bed, the spirit went over to rest their weapon against it before sitting down on the mattress. Mirajane had already gone over to her closet for her nightwear, the dress she had worn for the day having already been thrown off and placed into a hamper sitting in a corner. She either had incredible confidence or had already been told by Lucy and Levy that Zangetsu never really cared when they undressed in front of them. The spirit felt the better bet laid in the latter. Even now, the only reason they sat up rather than getting a head start on sleep was due to the task they were about to take part in.
The white-haired woman bounced slightly as she joined them on the bed, and they couldn't help but notice the slight redness on her face. So she was at least somewhat embarrassed.
"So, where are we doing this?" She fiddled with a lock of hair. "I'm pretty sure neither of us want me to bleed out." They nodded readily.
"…Can…sense." The bartender hummed, grasping their words easily.
"I'll lie back then." She shifted back on the mattress and then around, shuffling until her head was upon the silk-wrapped pillow at the head of the bed. Without hesitation, the Hollow crawled over her, sniffing while inspecting her reiatsu as closely as he could. Mirajane watched with mild fascination as he moved his head around her body, stopping at key areas such as her wrists or heart before shaking his head and hunting for a less lethal location. Sniffing his way to her neck, she had to keep herself from giggling at the sensation of his breaths against her skin, until he stopped at the flesh just right of her neck. She realized instantly as he made his decision, and drew in a breath to prepare herself. Her right hand came up to cradle the back of his head as her left wrapped around his shoulders.
He broke her skin with his teeth, not ripping out a chunk but instead nibbling to open a wound just large enough for a proper flow. The pain, even with her readiness for it, caused her to gasp. He lapped at it instantly, collecting the blood in his mouth and swallowing. While he suckled, he adjusted himself, having been in a position where he could easily move up and down her body. It was uncomfortable and his balance was shaky. He was likely to be at her neck for several minutes, so he shifted until he felt comfortable. His final position, with Mira gasping and trembling at every movement, was with his right hand on her pillow, directly to the left of her face. His left was supporting the weight of his torso, just underneath her right armpit. His legs, he had to shuffle the most, it being incredibly stiff to have been straddling her. Now, her legs were around his waist, with his right leg folded up so that his knee was underneath her waist and his left was straight out behind him.
"S-So this is why Erza reads v-vampire stories." The woman's voice wavered slightly. There was…slight euphoria in her tone? He had just started, she shouldn't be lightheaded just yet. The Hollow paused to check on her, but she tightened her grip on his head as soon as his tongue stopped moving. "Don't stop!" She barked instantly. "I-I'm fine! B-better than fine, actually. I'll-I'll let you know when it gets dangerous." Grunting in affirmation, he went back to drinking in her Magic, intentionally ignoring her shuddering sighs now.
Mira was the first to wake up the next morning, which wasn't as much of a surprise as she thought it'd be. Despite the hearty amount of blood that had been sapped from her, she doubted she needed as much rest as Zangetsu did, with the knowledge she had now. Though, to her wince, she did discover that the blood loss caused her to sleep through her alarm to open up the guild. She was neither the only one with a key nor the only one that served food and drink, but her presence would be missed as though she were.
She would need to untangle herself from the Hollow in order to get up. Looking down at how they laid together, she was certain just about anyone would get the wrong idea if they were to see them now. Her sheer white negligee had ridden up to just below her breasts, with his right arm over her stomach to cradle her to him. Their legs were woven with each other, his right knee coming up between her legs high enough that he could surely feel her…heat. Her own right leg was tucked in between his in turn. His left arm was underneath her, his fingers coming up to wrap around her left shoulder from behind. The fingers of her right hand were tangled in his hair, with his head lying next to hers. In her peripheral, she saw one of his horns above her, confirming he had fallen asleep facing her.
Sapphire eyes blinked as a thought went through the woman's mind, and she brought up her left hand. She gently grasped the elbow of the arm over her stomach, and lifted it into her sight. A moment later, a relieved smile beamed across her face. Zangetsu's sleeve extended to just above his bicep, a notable change from last night, where it couldn't completely cover his shoulder.
Yeah, being late to Fairy Tail today would be worth it.
As they glared at the sight before them, Zangetsu could only think of two things: when it had happened, and who had done it. Whose head were they going to take? Could they have prevented this had they gone home with Levy last night? Were they going to go after someone else they cared about? How would they scream as Zangetsu carved them to pieces?
A loose crowd gathered around them, no doubt kept at bay by the barely restrained rage the blade no doubt emanated. Hushed whispers and speculations danced around, spoken as though afraid to be caught by the zanpakuto's ears. Team Natsu fought their way through the crowd, and all gasped at the sight that had the spirit frozen.
Pinned to a large tree, were three unconscious bodies. The bodies were beaten, bloody, bruised, and obviously broken. Their clothes were shredded, there were lumps indicating broken bones under their skin, and Zangetsu couldn't tell how long they had been hanging. What kept them in place were bands of iron bands bolted to the bark via oversized iron nails. Only their arms were bolted in place, each of their bodies sagging painfully. The three pinned were Levy and her two teammates.
It happened again. The thought caused crimson reiatsu to curl out from their body like the vilest poison, causing everyone nearby to flinch back. Once again, someone they cared about got hurt because they didn't. Fucking. Intervene! A seething hiss slipped out from their throat as the diminutive man they recognized as the Captain of the guild stepped up.
"Wrecking our shoddy hall I could ignore…" The man growled, his words dripping with rage. "But no parent could stand by after seeing their children's blood be spilled!" His cane snapped in his grip. "THIS MEANS WAR!" Tightening their grip on their weapon, the zanpakuto agreed.
The only thing Zangetsu cared about was the awareness that the Phantom Lord guild hall was filled with reiatsu signatures. They didn't know where it was located, so they unfortunately had to stick with the rest of Fairy Tail as they journeyed to the rival guild. If there was any saving grace, it was that the forced walk allowed them to realize Lucy remained in the hall with Levy and her team. Everyone also seemed too stuck in their rage to realize the zanpakuto displayed no signs of the utter exhaustion from the day before, or that their sleeve had grown. They had reigned in their reiatsu from leaking out in their rage, the resource currently too precious for such a display. Finding a possible solution in feeding from strong mages did not detract from Zangetsu currently being despairingly low on reiatsu.
Thankfully for their impatience, Phantom Lord had a sign above the front doors to their guild, visible from down the road. The blade was not the only one to lunge forward as soon as that was within sight, but they were the first to reach their destination. For a moment, there was a pair of doors in the way. For a moment.
A swipe of their sword wrung out powerful winds which blew the wood apart, even more viciously than the gate protecting the people of Galuna. As they cleared the entryway, they saw that the force of their swing was so great that even several tables close to the entrance had been sent skidding and tipping over. An unfortunate victim had seemingly been on their way out the building, their face twisted in shock as the zanpakuto watched in slow motion as wood chips cut into their flesh. The victim had been lifted off their feet, and their arms were snailing up, intent to protect their face clear. Zangetsu's left foot met the victim's face, the Hollow taking distinct pleasure in feeling a nose break and bend underneath their heel. Their right foot slapped onto the floor, and before anyone could react to any of the events the beast caused, they stomped their left foot down. Wood splintered apart underneath their victim's head, and the scent of blood entered the air. There was the faint sound of bone cracking, and it only brought more satisfaction to the beast.
Just as screams of shock began filling the air, the Hollow pitched his head back and howled. They allowed reiatsu to burst from their body then, as their roar of hatred and vengeance overwhelmed everything else in the building. Rather than the response to a challenge, this was a demand for blood to be spilled. The furniture in the building tumbled back, lighter objects being outright tossed into the air to shatter against the walls. The mages closest to the epicenter were thrown off their feet, spiraling back from the sheer force. Strained creaks and groans rumbled as the walls and support beams trembled under the pressure. The rest of Fairy Tail rushed in after, even their collective rage seeming insignificant in the face of their bellow. Their blade was flipped around and stabbed into the wood, terrifyingly close to the skull of their victim.
"…WHO…HURT…LEVY!" They demanded, and the frightened shivers of the Phantom Lord guild could be felt. The faceless enemies all whispered amongst themselves, far too quietly for even the Hollow's hearing to pick up, though their petrified tones were clear. The other members of Fairy Tail seemed more than content to give their enemies a chance to give up the one deserving of the most punishment. After several moments, it became clear that no one would step forward, as well that no one would be sacrificed. Snarling hatefully, the zanpakuto ripped their blade from the floor and took a step forward. The tips of their toes and fingers darkened and sharpened as the Hollow strengthened his Hierro, quickly forming claws and talons. A reiatsu-filled shine flashed along their weapon, and the spirit did not doubt that many in the building were finding it increasingly difficult to breathe or stand.
"…Then…cut…all…down." They growled, the Fairy Tail members behind them shouting in agreement.
Next Chapter: Bite Back
That's right, the next chapter is known. I've made a chapter plan that goes quite a ways into the Fairy Tail story for this fic, as well as one for my RWBY fic, FAME. For those who have not followed me on Twitter, I've started posting updates on my stories there, and I am TEMPORARILY putting To Undo it All on hold. I would not even call it a proper hiatus, I'm just slightly burned out on it and am going to focus on other stories until I'm over it.
By the way, my Twitter handle is the same as my name, capitals included!