Welcome to Chapter 2 of Fairies of Black and White! Once again, I don't own Fairy Tail or Bleach. They belong to Hiro Mashima and Tite Kubo.
Read and Review! Flames are welcomed if they are constructive criticism. Enjoy!
"Normal Speech"
"Hollow Speech"
"Old Man Zangetsu"
'Thoughts'
"The Hearing shall now commence. Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida, please step forward."A feminine sounding amphibian human hybrid said from its position below ten people of varying age and appearance. Ichigo was positive he saw a guy with cat ears and a tail staring down at the both of them. "You have been brought here for attacking members of the Rune Knights and for attacking Phantom Lord. What do you have to say in your defense?" The two could see that most of the people in the room where very interested in what they were about to say.
"Well, we apologise for attacking the Rune Knights." Uryū said, bowing slightly at the waist while Ichigo copied his example. "Due to the fact that they were all bearing the same insignia, we assumed that Fairy Tail was under attack from another guild. It didn't help the image when we saw Natsu Dragneel having a seizure at their feet." The council were stunned to hear this. The raven haired teen spoke to them with respect yet able to insult them without any means for retaliation. Truthfully, they acted in their guild's defense from their point of view.
"How did you not recognize the emblem of the Rune Knights?" Org questioned the two, his right eye shut while his left didn't leave their forms.
"We don't have the Rune Knights where we come from." Ichigo spoke up. He and Uryū had spoken about their alibi just yesterday. It was full-proof, especially as the Quincy form of Zangetsu materialized himself so as to implant the proper alibi into each of their heads. "We have an organization known as the Gotei. They are our Council and are separated into thirteen separate divisions with a captain at its head. Both of us have worked with them in the past on some issues that we can't go into detail about due to security reasons. But they aren't going to attack Fiore unless provoked first." Ichigo said, easing the worries of some of the councillors.
"And why are you and your friend here?" Ultear questioned, eyeing the orange haired teen in front of her, drinking in his five foot twelve, lean and muscled form. She subtly licked her lips that only Siegrain caught and gave her a smirk.
"We wished to travel. News of the guilds of Fiore had reached our ears and so Kurosaki and I wished to travel and see Fiore for ourselves. We decided that Fairy Tail would be the best guild to join due to their popularity so jobs would come from all across Fiore and we could see it. We arrived in Magnolia just thirty minutes before Phantom Lord made their attack. We decided to help out as we heard that Phantom was planning on kidnapping a member of Fairy Tail." Uryū took control of the story and the two watched as many of the council nodded at their story and seemed to accept their words.
"We're sorry if we violated any of your laws about guild war. But with what Phantom Lord was planning on doing, we couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Kurosaki's name wouldn't allow him to do such a thing." Uryū smirked at his friend who just grumbled something while turning away.
"What does his name have to do with anything?" Yajima asked, his voice filled with confusion that was mirrored on his fellow councillor's faces.
"My name means 'He who protects'. I gained power so I could protect my family and friends. I have the power to protect and I'll protect everyone who is too weak to defend themselves. From what I was hearing, Fairy Tail needed help and we were both there to lend a hand. Besides, it's not the stupidest thing that we've done in our lives."
"And what would that be?" Org had the bad feeling these two would be some of the craziest mages in Fairy Tail.
"We and four others broke into the Gotei to rescue a friend from an unjust execution and uncovered a coup while there and gained support from more than half of the entire organization." Silence reigned in the hall at Ichigo's words while the two being questioned didn't look fazed at all. Org's premonition was indeed right. Looking around his fellow councillors, he saw the unadulterated shock present on most faces. Siegrain had an amused smile on his face while Ultear was giggling softly into her palm as she turned away from the stand.
"Before we pass our verdict. " Chairman Crawford Seam said, clearly stunned at his words. "May we please see some of this event you've just described to us? Just to makesure this isn't a lie." Both the teens looked at each other in question before Uryū stepped forward, a determined look in his eye as a messenger stepped forward with a memory lacrima.
"All you have to do is put some energy into the lacrima before choosing the certain memories you wish to show the council." The messenger explained. Uryū gave a small nod of his head as he took the dark green lacrima in both his hands. Closing his eyes and blocking the world from his feeling, Uryū delved deep into the memory archive of the Quincy and pulled three selected memories from it. Slowly opening up his eyes, he pushed some of his reiatsu into the lacrima which began to glow a bright blue, resonating with his energy before the first memory began to play in front of them all.
The council stared at the image on that was now shown in front of them. It was showing a younger Ichigo, if the hair length and different height and clothing meant anything, arguing with a black haired man who was wearing green and white robes and baggy black pants who had several small bombs and a short dagger like blade around his waist.
"Why is there no sound coming from the projection?" Siegrain asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He could use some of the magic that these Gotei people weren't able to defend themselves from.
"Sorry. But this is not our information to share and therefore I've chosen to keep all the memories muted for confidentiality. I'm sure you all understand?" Uryū questioned while the majority of the council frowned. Yajima offered a smile to the two mages as he finally realised that the two had planned this long before they even stepped into the building. And they were able to aggravate the council without them having a way to retaliate without consequences. After all, the Council had some information they'd like to keep silent as well.
The image continued to play on until it showed the memory view jarring as they crashed into something hard. The council's eyes widened as they say that the group was slowly bypassing a strong magical barrier, if the sparks and energy being flung around from the group meant anything. The vision then changed as Uryū looked towards the bottom and the Council's eyes widened in shock as they saw a sprawling labyrinth of walls and building stretching out for miles and miles around them, with a large white tower and cliff beside standing in the very middle of the city. The memory cut off suddenly before a new one began to appear in front of them.
It was showing Ichigo standing with his back towards a man with long black hair that was held with some form of hair accessory and wearing a white over coat that was cut and stained with blood. The orange haired teen didn't look much better as he had stabbed his pitch black daito into the ground to stay standing. The other man looked to be dead on his feet before he simply vanished from view after appearing to say a few word to the boys. A few seconds later, Ichigo pulled the sword he had planted into rock out and raising his arms in a silent victory shout. The current Ichigo had the decency to blush slightly as he looked at his younger form celebrating his victory.
"Did I really do that?" Ichigo mumbled, embarrassed of the way he had acted, trying to avert his face. It was okay when it was close friends who see him doing something like that. But total strangers were pushing it too far. The purple haired woman looked like she was enjoying it far too much as she was laughing outright and commenting on 'how cute' he was celebrating and also averting his face. She was like Yoruichi, except she didn't appear naked. So she had that going for her.
"Yes, you really did do that, Kurosaki. You were really proud of yourself." Uryū said, his tone natural but also teasing which enticed a growl of annoyance from the teen behind him.
"I believe we have seen enough." Crawford Seam said and Uryū nodded as he stopped the flow of his reiatsu into the crystal and the images cut off and it turned back to its dark green colour. "Upon seeing that, we of the council have to admit you're story is true. Now, onto your punishment. As you hail from another country and are ignorant of our customs as I'm sure they are not the same as your home. Therefore, you both shall not be punished for your actions against Phantom Lord as we've received information from eye witnesses that Makarov only fought when his members were attacked." Both boys let out a sigh of relief at this. "However, we wish for you both to pay a five hundred thousand Jewel fine as compensation to the Rune Knights you attacked." Ichigo and Uryū gave a nod in agreement as they thanked the council, bowed and then left the stand as though they had been doing something as casual as talking about the weather. The orange haired kid even gave a half wave back to the council as he was leaving through the door.
"We shall reconvene in an hour to hold Makarov's hearing." Org said and no arguments meet his words as the council and their messenger's rose from their seats and left the room. 'Those two in Fairy Tail are going to be an interesting pair.' Org thought to himself, his mind trying to wrap around the things he had heard and seen. He really needed some tea.
"So my boys, how did it go?" Makarov said from where he sat in the waiting chambers of the Fiore Council Branch.
"We got off with basically a slap on the wrist." Ichigo said as he sat himself opposite Makarov."Just said we aren't allowed to do something like that again and then gave us a five hundred thousand Jewel fine for attacking the Knights. We'll get it paid off quick enough."
"That's good. I believed they may have been harsher on you two boys but I'm glad to hear it. Now my trial is not for another while and I believe it shall be longer than your measly thirty minute trial. So, please head back to Magnolia and help with the guild reconstruction. I shall be back as soon as I can." Makarov said, heaving a sigh at the thought of what the Council would say and do.
"Good luck, Master Makarov. We'll see you back at the guild." Uryū said, walking past Makarov and Ichigo was quick to follow, giving the old man a wave before going to collect his Zanpaktou while Uryū grabbed his Quincy cross and Seele Schneiders and Gintos.
"So, we just going to go back as quick as possible?" Ichigo said, making sure his Zanpaktou were tightly secured on his back and waist.
"Yes, I believe that jobs are available to do from today so it would be best if we get a high paying job so as to pay off the money for compensation."
"Good point. I think it will take us only take three hours to get there if we used Shunpo and Hirenkyaku at a medium level." Ichigo said and he looked at Uryū with a smirk on his face. "Race you!" He shouted before vanishing in a low level Shunpo that Uryū was able to follow easily but he still gave out a chuckle as he followed after the hybrid.
"Why are they so excited? Usually they just fool around and drink." Lucy said, watching from the bar with Mira as a large crowd of mages crowded around the request board. "Speaking of which, Loki isn't here?" Sure enough, the orange haired womanizer was nowhere to be seen.
"Did Lucy fall into Loki's hands as well?" Mira asked the Celestial Wizard with a teasing smile on her face.
"No!" She exclaimed, a faint blush on her cheeks. "It seems he helped me find my keys. So I want to tell him... Thanks."
"If I see him, I'll pass your message. But don't mind that. You dropped your keys. Are the Stellar Spirits angry? Also, you're glowing again." Mira said, still intrigued by the slight silver glow Lucy gave off every now and then. It was some impressive magic.
"Dammit. I thought I had it under control." She muttered as she took in a deep breath and in a few minutes, the glow stopped. "And Aquarias was angry. The others not so much." Lucy got a vivid image of Aquarius from the previous night who was holding a riding crop and snarling down on a terrified Lucy. "My butt hurts just thinking about it." Lucy said and got a slight laugh from Mira.
"Do you need me to chill it?" Gray asked, one hand covered in his ice magic.
"Don't pretend to be gentle, that's sexual harassment." Lucy growled out.
"Lucy let me see your red butt." Happy asked innocently enough, but with a big smile on his face.
"That's obvious sexual harassment!"
"If I make her butt hurt more I wonder what expression she'll have." Natsu chuckled out, his hands on fire.
"And you're the devil!" Lucy exclaimed but was soon silenced by Natsu being struck by a table.
"What the?" Ichigo questioned. As soon as he arrived, he saw the Dragon Slayer get bowled over by the table. Uryū was also wondering what had just happened.
"YOU DARE SAY THAT AGAIN!" Erza shouted, the anger in her voice easily heard and everyone turned to the scarlet haired mage in fear as she was seething from where she stood in front of a spiky blond haired man who had spiked earphones and a large lightening shaped scar over his right eye.
"Then I'll say it more clearly." He smiled at the red head. "This guild doesn't need weak bastards." Erza was shaking with rage. "To be looked upon by a guild such as Phantom Lord. How embarrassing. I couldn't face anyone."
"Laxus is back?" Happy said, surprised the lightening wizard was at the guild.
"That bastard starts bad mouthing as soon as he comes back." Gray said, angered by the way he was talking.
"S-ranked Laxus." Lucy spoke, slightly intimidated by the man in front of her.
"I'm talking about you." Laxus spoke, pointing to the still injured forms of Levy, Jet and Droy. "I heard you guys were beaten up by Iron Dragon Gajeel? Speaking of which, what are your names? Who are you guys?" Ichigo could feel his anger slowly building the more he listened to this guy bad mouth everyone here. It wasn't helping that his Hollow was also growling in annoyance at the blonde and Ichigo could feel the glare the Quincy form was giving Laxus. Metaphorically speaking. "You're a disgrace." He had the audacity to laugh. Ichigo was ready to jump in and strike him until a hand landed on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Uryū giving him a look telling him to calm down. And Ichigo needed to do so as he didn't want the Council on them again so soon.
"Let him rant, Kurosaki. Don't get angry with him." Uryū whispered but Ichigo was able to pick up on the suppressed anger as easy as he could breath. He was just as angry with Laxus as he was but didn't want to cause a scene. After all, they could and most probably would destroy the slightly repaired guildhall. "We shall just get a job before leaving."
"Laxus!" They both heard a shout and a hand slapping wood. Adjusting their views, they saw that it was Mirajane who caused the outburst. "The matter is closed. There was no talk of blame from the start. You didn't participate in the fight and you don't need to add oil to the fire. Master said that."
"Of course it doesn't have anything to do with me. But if I was there I wouldn't get beaten up horribly." There was silence at this.
"Well, this has something to do with you." Ichigo spoke from where he and Uryū stood at the request board. "Shut up. Seriously, you're voice is giving me a headache." Ichigo never once turned to look at Laxus, who was enraged the orange haired teen didn't show him any respect.
"Who the hell are you!" Laxus roared standing up swiftly from his position and giving the teen a hard glare.
"Like you care." Ichigo said, taking a piece of paper from the request board. "Yo, Uryū, found a job. A million five hundred thousand Jewels for the reward. Protect a noble from some rogue wizards. What you think?" Everyone was in shock that the guild's two newest members would ignore Laxus so easily.
"Let me have a look at it, Kurosaki." Uryū said, snatching the paper from Ichigo and gave it a quick glance over before nodding in satisfaction. "This seems okay. Mira-san, we'll be taking this job." Uryū showed her the request and she gave a stunned nod, not really looking the job over before the two were walking away, talking about nonsense things before Laxus broke in.
"Where do you two think you're going!" He roared, his magic energy sparking across his body.
"Out on a job. Weren't you listening?" Ichigo said innocently enough, he even looked confused. But some, such as Erza and Mirajane, could pick up on the teasing tone of his voice.
"You aren't part of the guild. So how are you going out on a job?" Laxus questioned smugly, a smirk on his face while he tried to look down on the two. His smirk was quickly wiped from his face as Ichigo rolled up his right sleeve to show the guild mark resting on the underside of his arm in black with a blue outline while Uryū had rolled his left up to show his on the underside of his arm in light blue with a white outline.
"Happy now?" Ichigo said as he and Uryū turned around and began to walk again before disappearing from view in a fast rush of their respective speed movements. Laxus had a shocked look on his face for a second before it quickly morphed into a harsh scowl.
"I'll succeed this guild and erase away every weak shit and all those who oppose me. Those two will be the first to go." Laxus said before disappearing in a streak of lightening.
"Succeed? What's he talking about?" Lucy asked Mira who gave her a small smile.
"It's not really nonsense. Laxus is Master's blood and flesh grandson." Lucy looked shocked at the news and scowled at the implications of him as Master."That's why Master can't retire. At least, that's the rumour. Master hasn't said anything about a successor." Lucy let out a sigh before looking towards the temporary entrance of the guild, a frown on her face as she stared at where the two new guilds members once stood.
"Mira, what job did Ichigo and Uryū take?" Lucy said, bringing Erza, Natsu and Gray to the bar on the conversation. "Don't guilds have to keep a record on who goes on what job?"
"Yes, let me take a quick glance at the board." Mira said, walking out of the bar before casting her eyes up and down the requests, murmuring something too low for even Natsu to hear. Then she stopped as her face lit up in realization as she came back to the group.
"Well?" Erza said, concerned for the two newest members and also curios about what they picked as their first mission.
"They went on the job to protect Hisui E. Fiore. Princess of Fiore." The remainder of the guild went quiet upon hearing the news. The King himself put in a request for their guild and was paying one million. "And just looking over the details. It's one million, five hundred thousand Jewel per person. So in the end, they're making three million Jewels on their first job."
"WHAT!" The guild shouted, eyes bulging out of their eyes at the news.
"I could pay my rent for a year with that one request and half just less than half left." Lucy muttered , her head thunking into the wood of the bar and fake tears creeping into her eyes.
"How about we go help them?" Gray said, slowly creeping away from the bar along with Natsu. And several others in the guild.
"No. They picked the job first and left before we could ask to join. No one in the guild shall go after them." Erza commanded, halting everyone in their places. "Am I understood?" She turned her glare on the rest of the guild who froze in fear and nodded their acceptance to the red head. "Still, I wish I could have got that job." Erza murmured, low but still loud enough for the guild to hear. "All the sweets I could have bought. Well, that's go out on a job of our own."
"Uryū, do you even know where we are meant to be going?" Ichigo asked for the fifth time in the last two hours. It had taken them five hours to get to the capital of the city of Fiore, Crocus. And with near eight hours of constant Shunpo, Ichigo wasn't all that happy. His muscles were screaming at him to take a rest but that was overrided by his Hollow regeneration that was soothing the pain he felt in his muscles. But his reiryoka was at a low level that could be dangerous. He knew the Quincy was also in pain, if not more but with their unnaturally large reiatsu reserves and how quickly they could replenish, they should be in less pain by morning and with the full brunt of their reiatsu.
"Yes, Kurosaki. I know where we are going. See that palace in the middle of the lake down there. That is Mercurius and the Royal Palace. That is where our client lives. However, seeing as it is ten o'clock at night, I suggest we find an inn and spend the night there with the money Master gave us and we'll pay him back after this job." Uryū said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he glared at his companion.
"Okay. So, first inn we find we'll rest there for the night." Ichigo said and Uryū nodded as they rounded a corner before promptly bumping into someone and knocking them to the ground. That someone was a sixteen year old female with long black hair that had a white ribbon on it and a rather developed chest. Ichigo and Uryū quickly gave her a quick once over to take in her appearance. She was wearing an elaborate white blazer with golden lining and a white shirt with a red tie. The cuff of the blazer was tucked into white mid wrist gloves. Under the blazer, they could see the end of a white frilled skirt that then gave way to black tights that went into a pair of knee high boots. But what really caught their attention was the white nodachi sheath she held. The area between the red hilt and sheathe was wrapped in white bandages that stopped her from drawing the blade. Their eyes narrowed at this but didn't comment on it.
"Ah, sorry about that." Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "We didn't mean to bump into you." Ichigo gave her hand to pull her up which she accepted with a slight scowl on her face. "Anyway, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, this is Uryū Ishida. And who are you?"
I'm Kagura Mikazuchi." She said, the scowl still on her face. Hopefully they would leave upon hearing her name. She really didn't want to deal with these two anymore than she had to. She had a job to deal with.
"Nice to meet you, Kagura. I'm sorry, but we must leave. We have to find an inn to stay at." Uryū said, weaving his way past her before Ichigo followed shortly afterwards, giving Kagura a smile before they rounded the corner. Kagura stayed standing there for a few seconds as she looked on in shock at the two who didn't care who she was. She felt a small smile come to her face.
'Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida. I'll have to remember them.' Kagura thought before she went on her job of finding an inn as well. She wanted to be rested before meeting the king in the morning.
The next day.
"Wake up, Kurosaki!" Uryū shouted in the ears of the Shinigami, a pleased look on his face as Ichigo fumbled about on his bed before flopping onto the floor. "We have to meet the king. He'll tell us the details of the job."
"You could have shaken me awake." Ichigo grumbled from where he was rising from the floor. "No need to shout in my ear."
"I tried to. You refused to get up." Uryū said, a smirk on his face as he adjusted his Quincy cross on his wrist before focusing on his Gintos. "You're a very deep sleeper."
"Let's just get breakfast." Ichigo growled out as he stalked past Uryū and adjusting his Zanpaktou. It didn't take them long last night to find an inn. Half an hour at most. It was called Honey Bone. It was a cheap place but had good quality food and beds so they didn't complain about it, after all, they only had to pay Makarov two hundred thousand jewels for the room and breakfast and dinner. They took their time eating breakfast as it was only eight in the morning and so the city wouldn't be full with people and they could get to the palace with little effort.
"One thing I've noticed." Ichigo said as he stared at every street and every building. "This place really likes flowers. I mean, they are everywhere."
"The city is called the Flower Blooming Capital. So of course they'll have a lot of flowers." Uryū said, appreciating the flowers and the aroma of the place.
"Zangetsu hates it. Says all the smells are messing with his head while Old Zangetsu is trying to grow some flowers in my head. It's a wonder how I'm not insane." Uryū barked out a laugh at this as they came across the bridge that would take them to the palace that was manned by five guards.
"Halt!" One of them shouted and both teens complied to the order. "State your names and business."
"We're Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida of Fairy Tail. We're here in response to a job that the king sent out." Uryū replied, both of them showing their guild marks and soon the gate opened to allow them entry.
"Fairy Tail? I thought your guild was in repair after Phantom attacked?" The one from before asked.
"We are but job requests are back up and we took this job." Ichigo explained and the gards gave a nod of acceptance.
"Just go through the gates then wait at the palace entrance. Captain Arcadios will be there to escort you to King Toma to explain the situation." Ichigo and Uryū gave a nod before walking through the gates and both cringed upon being assaulted by the variety of aromas that littered the garden. Holding their breaths, they swiftly walked through the gardens, trying not to take in the smells of the flowers surrounding them. It took them five minutes to walk through the large garden before they reached the large ornate silver doors of the palace.
"Very impressive." Ichigo muttered. "The Royal Realm didn't have anything like this." Uryū nodded his response as the doors opened and a man in heavy steel gray armour walked out. He was very tanned and muscular if he was wearing the armour. His hair was a dark brown and even spikier than Ichigo's own, the sideburns even went down and formed his beard. The most interesting factor was his stub nose that got a look from Ichigo upon seeing it.
"You two must be the mages of Fairy Tail. We got word last night you were both coming here. I'm Arcadios and Captain of the Cherry Blossom Knights. Now we're just waiting on one more, a mage from Mermaid Heel." The wait wasn't that long as the sound of running could be heard and Ichigo and Uryū looked around to see the form of Kagura running towards them.
"Sorry I'm late sir. It took time to show the guards at the gate where my guild mark was." Kagura said, catching her breath.
"Yo, Kagura." Ichigo said, a warm smile on his face as he walked up to the mage. "Fancy us all doing the same job."
"It does seem to be a coincidence." Uryū spoke up, giving her a small smirk as she stared at the two with slightly widened eyes.
"That's good, I don't need to let you three get acquainted with each other. Come, we shouldn't keep King Toma waiting. He shall explain the mission you three are about to undertake." Arcadios said, turning on his heel and marching through the halls of the Royal Palace.
"This is an amazing palace." Uryū complimented, his eyes taking in the many paintings and tapestries that hung from the walls.
"It truly is." Kagura said before directing her gaze to the two mages. "So what guild are you two from?"
"We're from Fairy Tail. Although, we're more doing this quest at it was the highest paying and we own the council for attacking a contingent of their Rune Knights."
"Wait, are you the two who fought against the Master of Phantom Lord?" Arcadios asked, genuinely curious and impressed. He had heard news that two unknown mages attacked the guild in defense of Fairy Tail.
"It's only been a week. How has news traveled here so quickly?" Ichigo asked, surprised as he didn't see anything like internet in the week he has been here.
"The Council's Branch is close to Crocus. Some of our guards make the trip there for the council's protection or just some news. The news of Phantom attacking Fairy Tail was a major rumour along with two mages defeating fifty Rune Knights." Arcadios said, respect evident n his voice while Kagura stared at the two in awe.
"We didn't mean to attack the Knights. We come from another country so we didn't know they were the Council's enforcers." Uryū explained, a sheepish grin on his face. "We thought they were another attacking guild. So we fought them first."
"Now we have to pay a five hundred thousand fine in compensation. At least we'll have a million at the end of this mission."
"Not quite, eight hundred thousand. We have to pay Master Makraov back his money."
"You two don't know?" Arcadios asked the two mages. "Everyone who answered the request is payed one and a half million Jewels for their services." Their mouths promptly dropped open in shock.
"Ishida, you can pay the fine and then we'll use the rest to get a house in Magnolia. Some place big enough to train safely." Uryū nodded dumbly at his words.
"What magic do you two use? I'm assuming that Ichigo uses sword magic due to his two blades." Kagura said, inspecting the blades that were wrapped in bandages.
"Not quite. We use spiritual magic." Ichigo said, very glad the old man Zangetsu had given them an alibi to use for their magic. "It's basically the representation of a soul. But we can't really teach it as we still working everything out."
"Are you saying you created a new magic?" Kagura asked in shock, her and Arcadios stopping at the revelation.
"No, our parents taught us them. My mom and dad were one of each so I got the whole lot but I'm more proficient with my dad's side." Ichigo said, indicating to his swords. "Uryū's parents were like my mom so he got that. Each is as destructive as the other but Ishida's can be controlled slightly better for a decrease in power."
"But there are dangers as trying to awaken this power could result in your death. Ichigo came close several times and so have I. For that reason, we ask you to keep it secret from everyone." They could hear the silent plead in Uryū's voice and nodded their heads in a promise to keep quiet about the magic.
"King Toma is just through here. Please be patient. The King is under a lot of stress at the moment." Arcadios said, opening a pair of gilded golden doors. The first sight of the King had Zangetsu laughing and Ichigo was struggling to keep his face serious. There in front of them on a large throne, was a forty or fifty year old man who was even smaller than Yachiru, the 'lovable' lieutenant of the eleventh division.
"This guy's the king! Kenpachi would probably get him as a pet for Yachiru!" Zangetsu quipped, breaking into hysterics.
"Be quiet you ass. I don't want people to think I'm crazy."
"Your majesty." Arcadios said, causing the man to look up at them. "May I present to you Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida of Fairy Tail and Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel. They are here in response of the job you put out."
"Thank you for bringing them, Arcadios. Now then. Onto why you three are here. I'm sorry to say that the escort job is only a partial truth as to why you three are hear. My daughter, Hisui, wishes to go to Akane Resort, which is on the other side of Fiore. Normally, I would entrust the Royal Guard on this endeavor. But there is something else that worries me." Toma said, jumping off his throne and walking to the three mages.
"There is a dark guild targeting the Royal Family. More specifically, Princess Hisui. While we do trust our guards to protect the princess, we don't know how they would hold against a Dark Guild. And due to their being no train stations in Crocus, the journey will have to be done by carriage until reaching Magnolia were a train shall be waiting to transport her and you all to Akane." Arcadios explained, the three mages nodding in understanding of the plan.
"So, you're expecting your daughter to be attacked by a dark guild. When are you assuming this will happen?" Uryū asked and he got a nod from Arcadios.
"We are assuming they shall make the attack on the train. But be on guard at all times. We don't truly know when they shall strike." Arcadios said, his hands flexing in his frustration.
"So why exactly are we needed?" Ichigo questioned, folding his arms over his chest and adopting a scowl. "You wouldn't put a request such as this out if you couldn't handle it. So who exactly are we against. Because I believe you both know." The group of three watched as Toma and Arcadios exchanged nervous looks before looking back.
"What I am about to say mustn't be repeated outside this room or to Hisui until after everything is done." Toma said with a soft sigh. "It all started three years ago." And thus Toma and Arcadios told them the story.
"We've been waiting here for two hours and the princess still hasn't appeared." Ichigo moaned from where he was leaning at a pillar with Uryū who looked just slightly annoyed while Kagura was trying to ignore Ichigo's grouching by the intricately designed red and gold carriage.
"We know Kurosaki. We've been here just as long as you." Uryū growled, glaring at Ichigo for good measure.
"I know. But I thought we would be heading out straight away. Not waiting." Ichigo said, turning away from Uryū and his hazel eyes landed on Kagura. "You never told us what magic you use, Kagura. Care to share?" Kagura glared at him for bringing her into the conversation.
"I use gravity magic. It allows me to change the gravity around me or a target of my choosing. I also have Archenemy which I mainly use in conjunction with my gravity magic." Kagura explained, seeing the looks on their faces of intrigue.
"Have you ever trained with Archenemy while under the effect of your own gravity magic?" Uryū asked, getting a raised eyebrow from the female Mage. "You could increase your speed by decreasing the gravity surrounding you, but you could make your base speed quicker if you train under a heavier gravity and work until you can move as normally as now. So what will you be able to do under less gravity?" Kagura's eyebrows widened in shock on hearing the idea that he had just proposed and began to think it over in her head. It was actually a good idea.
"Ah good, you're all here." The voice of Toma said, causing all three to straighten up on hearing him. "This is my daughter, Hisui E. Fiore. Hisui, these three mages shall be accompanying you to Akane." The three watched as Hisui stepped out from behind her father. She was a twelve year old girl with long wavy green hair and standing at four foot six. She was wearing a white knee length dress and a white cape that had a white fur collar and a white circlet with a sapphire in the middle.
She looked over them all with a critical eye, resting on Ichigo and Uryū longer than Kagura.
"Are they really going to be the ones father? The two males look more like models and the female looks like their entourage." All three of them developed tick marks on their heads as they heard her dismissal of them. She gave them one last look before walking past them like they were beneath her.
"I apologise for my daughter's actions. She is still growing into her role as princess." Toma said, bowing his head in an apology.
"It's alright your majesty. Uryū and I have dealt with worse. Don't worry, we'll keep her safe." Ichigo gave the old man a smile before turning to Uryū. "Okay, so Kagura and I will be inside the carriage and you'll be outside as your magic suits open spaces better." Uryū nodded before climbing up nest to the horseman who gave him a slight nod at his presence but other than that, he was ignored. "Let's go meet the princess." Ichigo said, smiling at Kagura, bowing to King before turning on his heel and opening the door for Kagura before he followed her in, mentally dispelling both blades of Zangetsu.
When he sat down, he seen that Hisui was giving him and Kagura a look from the corner of her eye and he and the two spirits in his head could only sigh. 'This is going to be a long trip.' Ichigo thought as the carriage began to move through Crocus.
Ichigo's thought was proven correct. For five whole days,which took them from Crocus to Magnolia, the princess had barely spoken any words to them. She just sent them looks and glares to convey what she wanted and it was really starting to annoy every mage on the job. But soon it would be over and then the Royal Guard contingent at Akane would take over for them and they could go back fully paid. It was at this moment when they were waiting for the train to connect with the carriages. And if there was one thing Ichigo didn't like was the gaping crowd that was staring at the green haired princess in shock. It was just broadcasting where they were.
"I don't like this." Ichigo mumbled to his two companions, who nodded grimly. Their eyes were constantly scanning the area on the lookout for any suspicious individuals while remaining close enough to Hisui that they could react in time. "We're far too exposed."
"I thought the train was going to be ready for us?" Kagura mumbled, her hands on the sheathe of Archenemy.
"That's what I thought." Uryū said, the Quincy Cross concealed in his sleeves but ready to be flung out in a moments notice. "But who are those people to our left?" The question caused Ichigo to look from the corner of his eye to the group Uryū was talking about to see a group of ten men and women all looking darkly at the twelve year old princess with hungry looks in their eyes.
"I really don't like this." Ichigo murmured, his hand edging to the trench knife on his left hip.
"The train is ready to depart, Princess." One of the many Royal conductors said, opening the carriage for the green haired youth and those who were her guard.
"Thank you." Hisui said, one foot being placed onto the carriage before she was roughly pulled back by Ichigo and across half the platform just as the carriage exploded in a ball of fire. Her eyes widened in shock of what she had just seen and gave a gulp of fear realizing how close she was to death not a moment ago. People of Magnolia and visitors ran from the station screaming in fear and panic rushing the doors.
"Get the princess." Ichigo's head snapped around to the group who were charging at them, brandishing various types of weapons, some of which were sparking with magic energy.
"Uryū." Ichigo said and the Quincy nodded as he quickly formed his bow before letting loose a narrow and controlled stream of Licht Regen that knocked the weapons out of their hands before impacting into the dark guild members, sticking into various parts of their body and clothes as they dropped unconscious.
"We need to get out of here." Kagura said, holding Archenemy in a ready grip as her eyes scanned across the station before locking onto a man with purple hair who was sending the group of four a dark smile on his face while his gaze never left the group, especially the princess. "We have company." The other two mages looked to the man who was smirking at them as he slowly advanced on the mages.
"Well, this is a surprise. Imagine meeting my niece in Magnolia of all places." The man said, making Hisui's eyes widen in shock.
"U... Uncle Renard? What are you doing here?" Tears were about to spring into her eyes but seeing the look on her uncle's face made her falter. It was one of pure madness.
"You know, the usual. Just trying to kill my little niece with a firebomb. But your guards are very effective. I didn't even see the orange brat move when he grabbed you. Lucky for you really, otherwise you would have been a nice meal for my dogs. They love cooked meat." Hisui gave out a gasp of fear and backed away from her uncle in fear.
"So, you're the reason the King wanted us." Ichigo said, looking the man up and down. "I kinda thought you would be stronger." The man started laughing uproariously, making Ichigo cock his eyebrow. "Did I say something funny?"
"I'm probably the strongest person you've ever fought boy."
"Doubt it." Ichigo said. "Maybe for Kagura, but Uryū and I were practically trained against strong people. And you don't even come close to even the weakest of them." He said, gently pushing Hisui behind him while unsheathing the Khyber knife attached to his back.
"Impressive bluff boy." Renard said, a crazy smile still on his face as he lit his hands with green fire before hurling a wave of the fire at Ichigo. Who caught it without any visible effort with his free hand. And then dispelled it by flexing his hand a little.
"Next." He intoned dryly, watching as Renard Fiore took a step back in shock. Kagura didn't let him get far as she dashed forward, swinging the sheathed form of Archenemy into stomach, causing the man to double over and for spittle to fly out from his mouth. And Ishida finished it off by smacking the man on the back of his head with the metal hilt of Seele Schneider and caused him to fall into blissful unconsciousness. Ichigo gave a blink of his eyes at the scene before sheathing Zangetsu. "That was easy." He commented before looking at the shivering Hisui. "Everything's fine now. He won't be coming after you."
"Is... Is this why... you three were with me? To protect me?" Hisui asked, looking down at the floor, fiddling with her dress while tears poured from her eyes.
"Yeah. You're father asked us to protect you. He told us about your uncle and how he tried to take the throne by force after your grandfather died. And when he was denied, he formed a Dark Guild against the Royal family. Just to get the throne." Ichigo spoke, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with her. "Your dad didn't want you going out on this journey without some competent people coming with you. He just wanted to keep you safe. Now you can enjoy Akane without fear of being attacked." Ichigo said, a large smile on his face that brought more tears to the girls eyes before she embraced the Substitute Shinigami in a hug, bawling her eyes out in a way hat was more fitting of a child than a princess. Ichigo only gave a smile before stroking her hair, doing his best to comfort her. Having two younger sisters helped with this.
"What is going on here?" A large voice shouted and the three mages turned to see as Master Makarov walked into the station, a look of rage on his face as he stared at the defeated members of the Dark Guild. "Ichigo, Uryū, I see you two are still on your quest. And I'm guessing the green haired child Ichigo is comforting is Princess Hisui." Uryū nodded to his questions before Makarov stared at Kagura. "And who is this lovely young miss here?"
"Kagura Mikazuchi." Kagura said, bowing to the diminutive old man, showing respect to the Wizard Saint. "From Mermaid Heel."
"Ah, yes. I've heard that guild has become popular recently. And I've also heard that you've recently just become an S-class. Congratulations. Now I would like to know what has happened here." And so Uryū, Kagura and Ichigo went about the laborious process of telling Makarov about what had transpired. From meeting with King Toma and the reason for the job to the brawl at the station now.
"Thank you. I shall take Renard and his guild to the Rune Knights still in town. I believe they will be more than happy to get there hands on him." Makarov said as he grew into his Titan form to grab the dark mages from the station. "Have fun at Akane. Also, Natsu and the rest are at Akane so you two, please return home with them." Ichigo and Uryū gave a nod to Makarov before he disappeared from the station.
"Shall we?" Hisui said, indicating to the train that had decoupled the destroyed carriage and moved it into a side track. Ichigo gave her a small smile before following after her into the carriage. It was quiet in the carriage for some time before Ichigo broke the silence.
"How are you doing?" he asked, leaning forward so he was staring directly into the princess' eyes.
"I... I'm doing slightly better. Still trying to get over the whole shock of the thing." Hisui said, her eyes cast down to the floor. "Have any of you ever lost someone important to you?" The silence was all she needed to know. "I lost my mother when I was four. I don't have that many memories of her but I can always remember her laugh. It was beautiful. It had this tinkling quality to it. Then, one day, she went out on a tour of Fiore and was killed by a Dark Guild. Father took it bad and threw himself into work for a while and the guards and ministers became my carers for most of my life."
"My mother was killed when I was nine." Ichigo spoke up suddenly, leaning his head back so he was staring at the roof of the carriage. "We were walking along a path near a river on this rainy day. And I saw some girl standing at the edge of the river. I didn't know what was happening so I ran to help them. My mother saw it for what it was. A lure. I blanked out but when I woke up, I found my mother's dead body on top of me. I was out of it for a few days. But the guy who killed her was found by my dad. I think it was right he got to finish everything off. I'm just annoyed it wasn't me."
"I had an older brother named Simon. We were orphans living in Rosemary Village. We didn't have much but we were happy with each other. Then one day, slavers descended on the town. I was about three at the time and I was split up from my brother as the village was burning. A girl who also lived in the village grabbed me and stuffed me into a box, telling me to stay in there until everything was safe. A few seconds later, she got captured and then the slavers had the whole village. I was found two hours later by the Rune Knights and some mages from the local guild, Mermaid Heel. I was the only person in the village who wasn't killed or taken." Kagura said, tears threatening to fall over her eyes.
"My mother fell into a coma the day Ichigo's mother died. And this was all due to Yhwach." Uryū said getting a look of surprise from Ichigo. "He was the man who created my side of magic and created many techniques with it. One was Auswahlen. It was a selection he made to regain his powers after being sealed away for a thousand years. He decided which Quincy were impure and took their power from them. Which killed them. My mother fell into a coma and three months later died." Uryū spoke with such hate about this man that it shocked the other two.
"He's dead now, Uryū. We both made sure of that." Ichigo's voice was calm but the princess and mage could pick up the underlying tone of hatred he held for this Yhwach.
"Who is this Yhwach? And why is he not mentioned in the history of Fiore if he created a magic?" Hisui questioned but she received a glower from the two men in the carriage that made her flinch. Seeing this, the glowers lessened as both breathed out a sigh.
"Sorry." Ichigo said. "It's just that we don't like to talk much about him. He was known as the Emperor of the Quincy and the reason Fiore don't know him is that he never came to Fiore. Uryū and I are from another country and it kept most of its conflict internal. This was just the biggest one yet. A lot of good people died in the war. He personally destroyed most of our lives." From then on the journey to Akane went in complete silence. The only noise came from the rumbling of the train and the people who came in to serve tea.
It took over two hours, but eventually, they reached the town of Akane and in the distance, Ichigo and Uryū could see a large hotel that had a roller coaster flowing around it and a water park of some description.
"I would like to thank you once again, Ichigo Kurosaki, Kagura Mikazuchi and Uryū Ishida. Without you three, I would have most likely been killed. From this day on, you are friends of the Royal Family of Fiore. And here is your rewards." Hisui made a gesture with her hand and three knights in silver armour and the Fiore coat of arms stepped forward with black cases in their hands. "Two million Jewels. I know the original reward was one and a half but I believe you deserve the extra I've added. Spend it wisely." Hisui said with a smile as she turned around to move to a carriage that would take her to Akane Resort.
"Princess Hisui!" Ichigo called out and the green haired princess turned to stare at the orange haired teen. "Hold onto to your memories. Don't ever let them go." Hisui gave the teen a quick nod and a smile before turning around once more.
"Well, Kurosaki and I should be getting back now. See you around, Kagura-san." Uryū said and the three exchanged small smiles to each other.
"Don't hesitate to come to Fairy Tail if your ever in Magnolia." Ichigo said, giving her a large smile that Kagura returned.
"Don't forget to stop at Mermaid Heel if you two are ever in Hawthorn town. There will be a meal with your names on it." Kagura said and gave a slight bow to the two. "But the next time we meet, I want to have a spar between us."
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Ichigo said as he and Uryū gave her a bow a one last smile before vanishing from sight. Kagura blinked owlishly at the spot where they once stood before allowing a smile to grace her features.
'What can I do with two millions Jewels at Fiore's top resort?' Kagura thought to herself as she moved towards one of the many magic four wheelers.
"Well, that was a fun few days." Lucy said as she stretched her back as she waited with Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy for the train that would take them back to Magnolia. "Although, I kinda wished we got to stay at the hotel longer."
"I was robbed on that ball game." Natsu grumbled out much to the amusement of the others.
"You five seemed to have a good time. Why didn't we come here?" A voice they recognized as Ichigo's questioned and the group turned to see as the two newest members of the guild walked up to them with smirks on their face.
"When did you two get here?" Gray said, folding his arms across his suddenly bare torso.
"Your clothes." Lucy mumbled loud enough for Gray to hear as he went into a search frenzy for his discarded shirt.
"We got here about ten minutes ago. Just dropping the princess of and then getting payed two million Jewels." Ichigo said, as the two joined the group.
"Two million. Where did the extra come from?" Erza questioned, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"The princess saw it fit to add more after the way she acted towards us." Uryū answered, smirking as he casually jostled the case in his hands. "Four million Jewels for our first mission. Not bad at all." Uryū and Ichigo didn't miss the way all their faces gained a dark glower at the casual mention of how much they had made. It was especially dark on Lucy's as she glared at Natsu who had robbed her out of two million on her first job for Fairy Tail.
"Well, we still have to pay Makarov and the fine. But we'll have over three million left between us." The glowers became darker. "Hey look, the train's here." Ichigo said, paying a thousand jewels for the seven of them to go to Magnolia. "So how was the resort?"
"We barely spent any time there." Lucy said which got confused looks from the two. "Some of Erza's old friends came and took her to where this guy was trying to resurrect Zeref,the Dark Mage. We spent most of the time getting there and fighting and then getting back."
"Harsh. The only action we got was beating up an exiled member of the royal family and some members of a Dark Guild." Ichigo said, leaning back and glaring harshly at Happy who was trying to steal some of his money. Happy, noticing the glare, froze before zipping round to hide behind an incapacitated Natsu's shoulder.
"You got to beat up a member of the royal family and didn't get into trouble?" Gray said in awe. "I'm pretty sure that tops what everyone else in Fairy Tail has done in its history."
"Both of you fight me when we get back to the guild!" Natsu shouted, his fists on fire as he grinned toothily at his fellow mages. Before falling to the floor as his motion sickness took affect again.
"Yes, I would like to spar with you both as well." Erza smirked, staring purposely at Ichigo who returned the smirk.
"Don't leave me out of this. I want in on some of the action as well." Gray said, cracking his knuckles while emitting an icy aura.
"Are you going to join in, Lucy?" Happy said which brought everyone's attention to the blonde.
"I kinda want to get better at my magic first. I just want to see what my limits are before fighting others first."
"Your limits seemed high while fighting Gajeel two weeks ago and then fighting those guards at the Tower. I'm pretty sure you speared fifteen men with one attack." Gray said, raising an eyebrow and also smirking at the Celestial wizard.
"No, I agree with Lucy." Uryū said. "What she did was from adrenaline and rage. She was reacting to everything. In battle, that's a good thing. When you know what you're doing. Ichigo and I had to do extensive training to control our techniques in and out of battle and we had to react to everything while trying not to hit our allies. Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho, if uncontrolled, can completely obliterate a couple of buildings but while controlled, he can chose where to aim it. Like the time you sliced a mansion in half." Ichigo gave a chuckle at that.
"That felt good. But we'll take you up on that offer. If you create teams, we can do a battle royale or something like that. So decide amongst yourselves. For now, I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we get to Magnolia and don't try and take my money." With that being said, Ichigo got into a more relaxed position and let his head lull onto his chest. Soon, light snores were coming from him.
"I think Ichigo has the right idea." Erza said, a smile on her face as she watched the orange haired teen. "We should all get some sleep. We'll reach Magnolia in the late hours of the morning. So get some rest everyone." They all complied with the female knight's order and quickly found comfortable postions. Although Lucy did question what had happened during the night when she found that Erza had moved her to the other bench and the red haired knight was leaning against Ichigo's body in the morning.
"Good to be back." Natsu said as he walked down the street with his hands behind his head witht he rest of the group following closely behind with Erza taking up the rear. "So,when are we going to have that fight?" He looked to the orange and black haired teens who let out simultaneous sighs.
"When we get back to the guild. We've said this before." Ichigo said, exasperated with the dragon slayer in just ten short minutes. He knew Uryū wasn't far behind in his annoyance as well.
"Fine, fine." Natsu said before looking up at the guild and doing a double take while Ichigo and Uryū walked into the castle like structure like it was normal. Really, this was their first time actually seeing the guild. And they had seen more impressive buildings than the guildhall.
"Oh, Ichigo, Uryū. You guys are back." Cana said as she spotted the two newest members of the guild. "This is probably an improvement from last time huh?"
"Yeah, no splinters or broken tables. Don't know how you all worked with that mess." Ichigo teased the drunk as he walked in and took in the two floored structure, the dining hall and bar that were all packed and also the waitresses that were walking around serving. "Do you know where Master is?"
"Yeah, he's over by the bar with a new member of the guild." Cana said, pointing out the diminutive old man.
"Thanks, Cana." Ichigo said before the two waded their way through the crowd as the rest of the group entered the guild.
"We've returned, Makarov-san." Uryū announced as the stood behind the blue haired female who was speaking with the Master.
"Ah, Ichigo, Uryū. Back from the mission I see. And congratulations on a successful first mission." Makarov said cheerily to the two newest members of his guild. He was apprehensive about his two newest mages taking on such a job when he heard about it from Mira. But the fact that he hadn't got anything about complaints from the Council about the two of them, the apprehension faded away. Although, the lack of complaints may be because of the council's destruction. Either way, he didn't have any paperwork to deal with.
"Yeah. Everything went fine. Anyway, here is the two hundred thousand we owe you." Ichigo said as he pulled out a roll of Jewels that Makarov took with a gracious nod. "And here is the fine for the Rune Knights." he passed over a thicker roll of Jewels which Makarov also pocketed.
"Good work my boys. That's got to be the fastest anyone in Fairy Tail has paid off a fine for damage."
"We're apparently the only two in Fairy Tail to attack a member of the Fiore Royal line as well in the guild, according to Gray." Uryū said and Makarov's smile widened slightly. He could hold this over the rest of the masters. Two of his mages attacked a member of the royal family and got away with it. No one else could claim that. Except Mermaid Heel. Makarov inwardly cursed his luck.
"Indeed. Now, say hello to our newest guild mate, Juvia Lockster." The bluenette turned on her bar stool which allowed the two of them to get a good view of her.
"Nice to meet ya." Ichigo said, giving her a warm smile that was returned to him.
"A pleasure." Uryū said, giving her a small dip of his head in greeting. "Oh, word of warning before we forget. Natsu, Erza and Gray have asked for a spar. Can you recommend someone to be on one of the teams?"
"I'll happily fight with Gray-sama!" Juvia said, hearts all but dancing in her eyes.
"Perfect. Yo, Natsu! We found a fourth for the spar!" Ichigo shouted to the dragon slayer who looked at the teen with a smile on his face and the guild was brought to a stop at the words as mutterings spread around the now quiet guild.
"Awesome, let's go now then!" Natsu shouted. "Erza, you're on my team!"
"If you brats are going to be doing this, do it outside in the training yard." Makarov said and got affirmatives from the six as a cheer rang up from the guild.
"Okay, so shall we get some rules for this?" Erza said as she inspected the teams of Gray and Juvia and Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida. Gray and Juvia she would be able to handle and counter with Natsu at her side, but the two others presented a problem. She knew the bare basics of them and their magic. All she knew was that they were strong, fast and could create energy projectiles.
"No vital maiming. Person's out when they surrender or unable to continue the match? Last standing wins the victory for their team?" Ichigo said and got nods of confirmation from the rest.
"Alright brats, get ready! On the count of three!" There was dead silence over the training grounds.
"One!" Everyone shifted into a ready position to move or cast a spell. Except Ichigo and Uryū who just stood there.
"Two!" Erza drew her sword and was ready to requip at any second. Natsu's fist had lit on fire and he had a large smile on his face. Gray's hands were emitting faint icy wisps while Juvia's were swirling with water. And Ichigo and Uryū continued to stand there.
"Three!" Erza pushed off the ground, pulling her sword back to be ready for the person who attacked her. Natsu lunged directly at Ichigo while Gray went for Uryū and Juvia sent Water Nebula at the two immobile mages. Who were now smirking. Erza felt her danger instincts flare up as did the the three other mages. But Natsu and Gray were too close to do anything.
Like vipers, they struck at their opponents. Ichigo easily dodged the punch that Natsu sent his way before moving like water so he was inside his guard and slamming the palm of his hand into his stomach and launched him across the field and back to his starting position where he tumbled backwards slightly. Uryū had maneuvered himself into Gray's guard and flipped him over his hip and onto the ground roughly as Gray felt the air leave his lungs before Uryū's grip tightened and he was flung into the approaching Water Nebula which struck him across the back and hit him back into the ground.
"What just happened?" Lucy questioned, staring at the third team in shock as the guild stared on in silence. Only Makarov and Erza had seen the two move and even then, it was a glimpse at the best. Erza's instincts roared at her to act as Ichigo and Uryū moved and in a fast decision, she requipped into her Flight Armour and promptly threw herself to the right to avoid Ichigo's axe kick that shattered the ground where she previously stood. Juvia escaped Uryū's swift jab by turning into water and grabbing Gray and the two reappeared next to Erza and the recently returned Natsu.
"Anyone have any ideas?" Gray asked, not taking his eyes from the two across from them. Silence greeted his question and he nodded. "So, we're up against two unknown fighters who have the basics of us while we know nothing. Great."
"Here they come." Erza warned as she noticed Ichigo shift his left foot forward slightly before pushing off the ground and shoulder barging into Gray before he had a chance to react. Spinning and ducking quickly, Ichigo dodged the blade Erza swung for his head and leg sweeped the knight onto the ground. Jumping backwards, Ichigo dodged the Fire Breath and Water Slicer that Natsu and Juvia sent his way. And now it was Uryū's turn. Quickly forming his bow, he released four arrows at the mages who dodged with considerable ease. And were forced to continue dodging as the arrows curved round every time one of them dodged.
"Really? Tracking arrows?" Natsu shouted out and got a smirk for his troubles.
"Not quite, Natsu-san. The arrows are embedded with my energy and so I can control the direction that the arrow can take. It's quite useful." With that said, Uryū rapidly fired twelve more arrows so each mage had four arrows chasing them from multiple directions forcing the unfortunate mages to do some impressive acrobatics to avoid being skewered.
"Like I'd let something like this beat me!" Natsu shouted and cranked flames up around his body which caused the arrows chasing him to shatter. "Take that!" His glory didn't last long as Ichigo appeared behind him and delivered a spin kick to Natsu's head before axe kicking the dragonslayer into the ground. Ichigo's instincts roared to life as he ducked under the slash of a sword and then spun around a blade of water that had almost hit him.
"So, are you all taking this fight more seriously?" Ichigo questioned as he seen the four mages had adopted deep frowns as they stared at the black and white mages. "Good, then we can kick this fight up a notch." Ichigo drew both blades of Zangetsu while Uryū drew a Seele Schneider and shrunk his Helig Bogen into a crossbow. Then they moved. Ichigo was on top of Erza in a flash of Shunpo that obviously surprised the girl as he seen her eyes widen in shock as she quickly changed into her Black Wing Armour and swung the blade to meet the blades of Zangetsu. As it stood, the force behind Ichigo's strike shattered the blade with ease and blew her back ten feet. Acting quickly, Ichigo spun quickly to his right and Natsu was forced to jump away from Zangetsu's edges lest he be cut open.
For Gray and Juvia, it wasn't going any better. Gray was engaging the bowman up close with an ice blade while Juvia was attacking the mage from a distance with Water Nebulas or streams of water. None of the attacks even seemed to faze Uryū as he met Gray blow for blow while also sending arrows at Juvia who was forced to dodge the small bolts.
"Wow." Levy muttered from beside the Celestial mage as she stared at the fight. None of those fighting were push overs in terms of power. But Ichigo and Uryū seemed to be putting all their experience to shame. They were faster, stronger and had many tricks up their respective sleeves without really resulting to any techniques and both were putting an S-class and potential S-class mages through the ringer. "I've never seen Erza so pressured before."
"Same with Natsu and Gray. They all seemed indomitable yet their being forced on the defensive with no means of attack." Lucy said. And it was true. Any offensive the four tried to launch against the two ended in failure as they always either blocked the attack or dodged it at the final possible moment to allow someone else to get hit.
"Are you even trying to kill us?" Ichigo questioned as he and Uryū appeared at the other side of the field with bored expressions on their faces.
"Why would we be trying to kill you?" Erza shouted out in shock at the orange haired teen over the muttering of the guild.
"Every strike I've felt from you all just speaks of fear. Didn't I say when we first met to cast off that fear and nothing good comes from it? So why the hell can I fell fear radiating from your strikes!" Ichigo seemed legitimately angry as an intense pressure soon began to form around the Khyber knife as he raised it up. Then the screaming started as the pressure increased. "I'm sure you can all hear it. This is how much Zangetsu and I want to cut you. And he's annoyed that the fight isn't fun." With that said, Ichigo brought the sword screaming down and the guild cried out in shock as the simple movement left a trench ten metres long and three metres wide that extend five metres down.
"Kurosaki, I believe we should end this now." With that said, they promptly disappeared from sight and reappeared in front of the four shocked mages and threw punches and kicks at every available opening they got. Then Erza blocked Ichigo's fist and a smirk appeared on his face.
"Found your resolve?" Ichigo asked, his voice now calm as he flipped back from the sword. It seemed like he was waiting for this.
"My resolve... What I know is that I'll have you both take me seriously. If that means I get beat then so be it. But I'll continue to fight until then and I'll fight for my guild." Erza said as she requipped into red trousers with yellow flames at the bottom and bandages covering her chest. In her hand, she held a katana. In the corner of his eyes, he could see the three other mages rising up to continue the fight with the same fire burning in their eyes.
"Good. You've found your resolve. Now don't let it go." Ichigo said as he blurred into movement. And Erza was stunned as twenty speed clones of the orange haired teen appeared around her. "I'm not capable of holding back. So actually try to kill us. We'll be fine." Then he struck. The trench knife slammed into Benizakura, the force causing gale force winds and forced Erza to bend her knees and then spring back as the larger of the two blades swung for her stomach. She wasn't fast enough as the blade scored a slight gash across her stomach. She let out a pained gasp as she felt the warm liquid slowly drip down her body and realized that Ichigo was right. She wasn't going to get anywhere holding back. She had seen the looks on their faces. They were ready to kill all four of them.
"How harsh was your training that you were told to fight every battle with your life on the line?" Erza questioned as she readied Benizakura.
"It wasn't so much training than it was war." Ichigo said and that caused a shiver of fear to crawl down everyone's spines. Makarov stared at his two new children in silent mourning. They were barely twenty. "Uryū and I were right at the centre of two wars and we were forced to adapt constantly. We got knocked down, we got up stronger. We knocked someone else down, we got stronger. All to protect our friends. We'll do whatever it takes." Ichigo said. "So I think it's fair you see the extent of our power. And see your fears." Everyone except Uryū were creeped out by the double tone voice but it was shaken off as Ichigo sheathed his blades while Uryū clipped the Seele Schneider to his waist and dispelled the crossbow. Everyone in the guild was looking at the two in interest. Lucy felt the pressure first.
"What the hell is that?" She questioned and got looks from every mage in hearing distance. Then Ichigo and Uryū's power came to life in a roar. Pillars of black and blue energy respectively covered their bodies and screamed towards the sky. The pressure from the energy forced some of the guild members to collapse to their knees while others started to sweat at the energy being emitted. Makarov's own eyes widened in shock at the power the two were demonstrating as he looked up to the sky and seen the clouds were being parted just by the energy. Then he looked to the ground and watched as it cratered in a five metre radius and the small shards of rock disintegrated from the force being released. Then it abruptly cut off and the two mages were shown once again.
"Still wish to fight?" Ichigo asked, looking at the mages who looked stunned. Then Erza smiled as she requipped into her normal Heart Kreuz armour.
"I'm not near your level. Someday maybe. But a fight against you two is a means to my defeat. That much is clear. The fight is yours. But be clear, if both of you were threats to the guild I would fight until I died." The guild was in shock that Erza was surrendering to the two newcomers but Ichigo and Uryū smiled as they heard her declaration.
"Wise choice." Uryū said, giving a smirk to the red head. She was smart in that she could pick her fights logically. And she knew she couldn't win this fight. "What about the rest of you?"
"Juvia realises the folly of such a fight. Juvia surrenders." The bluenette was staring with widened eyes at the two mages and was now beginning to understand why Phantom Lord had lost the way it did. The two mages were truly monsters.
"Never thought I'd see the day Erza willingly surrendered a fight." Gray said, a smirk on his face. "But I'd like to train with you both. You both seem to have a plan to getting stronger." Ichigo offered the ice mage a smile and a nod of acceptance.
"If Ice Queen's getting training with you guys then I want some as well! I'll definitely be able to beat you guys when I know your secrets!" Natsu shouted with a large grin on his face, showing his large canines.
"Yeah, that's fine. Anyone can join really if they want. Just be prepared to be beaten around for a while." Ichigo commented casually, getting annoyed expressions from most in the guild. "And if you join us then be sure its what you want." The seriousness in Ichigo's tone shocked them though. "We'll be training you with everything we have. Nothing will be held back and we won't go easy on you. So if you want to train with us then you bring everything from the beginning." With those words being said the two mages disappeared from the grounds and left a silent guild in its wake.
"That was manly!" Elfman shouted out which got the whole guild cheering and talking about the strength of their new mages. But Makarov only adopted a questioning look as he stared at the damage the two left. The younger mages probably wouldn't have noticed it but that energy wasn't magic. It was something much denser than that as it took even the Wizard Saint considerable power to do something like they had done. He may just need to talk to his two newest children about their magic.
"What are you thinking about Master?" The voice of Lucy brought Makarov from his inner musings and he stared at the inquisitive look on the Celestial Mage's face.
"Ah, it's nothing Lucy. You don't need to worry about an old man's thoughts. Ah before I forget, I need to introduce you, Gray, Natsu and Erza to another new guildmate." Makarov gave a smile as he waited upon their reactions to seeing Gajeel in the guild. Cana would be owing him a lot of money at the end of this.
"So, we're offering training sessions now?" Uryū said to his orange haired friend.
"Yeah, I figured Natsu and Gray would pester us for a while if we fought them and then didn't train with them. So this seems like the easier option." Uryū had to agree with Ichigo's logic as they walked through Magnolia, looking for a real estate of some kind to buy a house. "It would also be useful for them to fight opponents much stronger than themselves on a regular basis so they can adapt quickly to the power some might bring to the field." Uryū gave a nod of acceptance before finally spotting what the two were looking for.
"Here we go, Kurosaki." Uryū said, leading the carrot top to the shop. Walking inside, the two were able to see that there was no one inside and all the available housing was posted on one large billboard, much like the guild's job board. Almost instantly, they were drawn to a perfect house. It was a large ten bedroom mansion a mile away from Magnolia and there was also twenty acres of land surrounding the property that was their's to do with as they pleased. And it would only cost them two and half million Jewels for the whole property. And they just luckily had more than enough for the property.
"Hello, how may I help you gentlemen today?" The Shinigami and Quincy turned to see a woman of thirty standing behind them with a smile on her face as she waited for them to tell her the house.
"Ah, we were wondering if we could purchase this house here?" The Quincy said, showing the woman the sheet of paper with the house.
"Wow, been a while since anyone's wanted to buy this place. Most want to be in the town so as to be closer to Fairy Tail and the market so it's rare when people want to move outside the town."
"We're apart of Fairy Tail and we thought if we had people from the guild over then there would be less damage to the town and surrounding area if anything went wrong." Ichigo said, causing the woman to blink before shaking herself to get out of her stupor.
"Wow. Two actual responsible members of the guild. That's very rare. I hear that the flame mage in Fairy Tail constantly breaks into another mage's home just to steal food." The woman turned away from the two and so the mouthed 'Natsu' went missed."I'll just get you the keys for the house and if it isn't up to your standards, you can leave the keys back and find another house. Although, the previous owner kept that house in immaculate shape so it shouldn't be bad. Maybe some dust here and there." She said before turning back with a pair of silver keys in her hands.
"Thank you very much." Uryū said beofre setting down one of the briefacases and emptying a quarter of the other. "Here is the payment for the house. Thank you for your help." He said before the two bowed and left the estate agents, two and a half million Jewels lighter along with a stunned employee who stared at the notes in shock.
When they arrived at the house after a ten minute walk from the town, they found that the words of the employee were indeed true. The builidng had pure white paint that wasn't even dirt never mind chipped, the windows glistened like they were washed yesterday. But Ichigo and Uryū didn't care about this as they quickly assessed the building with their senses. What they found was pleasing as the town was far enough away from the house that they could fight with minimal risk to anyone close by.
"Well this seems like a good place as any." Ichigo commented as he and his partner walked around the house before they came to the backyard and took in the large area of grassland they had obtained with the house. Rolling fields of grass of a lush green and then a stone patio for relaxing on along with deck chairs and a small pool. "And it's good to train people in. Win- Win." Ichigo smiled at the property he and Uryū now owned with a hint of pride.
"Yes, it is. However, I was thinking of something different for our training." Ichigo looked at Uryū with a raised eyebrow before he understood what the Quincy was getting at.
"Ah. You'e going to do that Quincy shadow technique, aren't you. The dimension thing." Uryū gave a nod of confirmation before sitting down to concentrate on the various shadows that building had along with the reishi in the air and began funneling it into the multiple shadows, forming a bridge between this world and the shadow realm. "Call me when you're done." Ichigo said and he seen the slight nod that told him Uryū had gooten the message before he sank down into a meditation pose, grabbing both Zangetsu's and ready to perform Jinzen. Zangetsu said he wanted to teach him some Hollow techniques while the Old Man was going to teach Quincy abilities. He wasn't looking forward to this as he sunk into his inner world where the spirits of his blades were waiting on the large skyscrapers.
"Are you ready, Ichigo?" The Old Man questioned as a bow formed in his right hand. Ichigo gave a sigh before resorting himself to his fate. Power Control. He was going to be dead by the end of this training session, he just knew it.
Hey everyone. I'm not dead!
Sorry about the long wait, school came in like a storm and I was forced to focus on it than FanfIction apart from the occasional free days. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and favourites and follows you all gave this story. It really made my day waking up to find a new review in my emails. Anyway, before we get all happy, I have a few exams coming up in a couple of weeks and while I'll still be writing, it will be in short chunks to the documents I already have on the site so I'm not writing a chapter all in one go.
Now that is out of the way, I hope you all enjoyed the new installment and leave your thoughts in the reviews or PM.
Mad Man in the Flesh out!