3/3

Time passed in a flash. After three years, Masaki and Isshin were married- he had been right; she really did like him. After four, they had a baby on the way. Exactly how that worked, Erza wasn't sure- Urahara had to be quite the expertly builder when it came to gigai.

Life- afterlife- was funny that way. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, it had been five years of human life, and Erza was on her way to the hospital, wearing a gigai, holding Masaki's hand, which was squeezing hers desperately though the birth cramps. Isshin himself was driving a car, and had a manic look about him. Erza presumed it was a new father kind of thing, although she wouldn't exactly know.

One maddening drive later, they had arrived at the hospital, Masaki had been wheeled off to a birthing room, surrounded by nurses and doctors, and Erza and Isshin had been shown to a waiting room.

Isshin looked jittery, like he was about to explode at any moment, his hands nervously running through his hair non-stop.

"Calm down," Erza said, although she suspected it would take a pretty heavy dose of medical drugs for him to relax at this point.

"I'm- I'm fine," Isshin insisted. "It's uh, just a, um, a lot to take in. You know?"

"I can imagine." Erza said, nodding. "It's not every day your first child is born."

"You don't have to stay, you know," Isshin mumbled. "I'm sure you got, y'know, kids to teach swordfighting and such."

"I'm not going anywhere." Erza said resolutely. "The kids can wait. If the dojo head has a problem with that, to hell with him. This is more important. Besides, you'd break down without me." She said, smiling and giving him a pat on the back.

"…thanks." He murmured. "I'm uh, I'm just gonna go out the hall and pace back and forth frantically, okay?"

"I'll get some coffee." Erza said, and nodded.

The wait was long- it seemed like it took ages to Erza, and she could only imagine how long it must have felt for Isshin. They had arrived in the evening, and it was well into the wee hours when the doctor came out, announcing that Kurosaki Masaki had given birth to a healthy baby boy, without complications. Isshin was beside himself with joy, and immediately rushed off to see his wife. Erza did not follow- she was close to them both, but that should be a moment just between the two of them, a father meeting his son for the first time…

But even in her gigai, she could sense the baby. In the womb, close as he was to his mother, it had been difficult- but now born, she could feel his soul blaze and burn, powerful, like a beacon… born to a shinigami and a quincy, of course he would be strong from the beginning- he had won the genetic lottery. But the thing about beacons was that they attracted flies…

After catching a few hours of sleep, she got her phone up, and called her boss to take a week off. He wouldn't be happy, but she was in good enough standing that she wouldn't get fired. Even if she did, this was more important- Isshin was powerless and Masaki was still recovering, and if something attacked… it would be up to her and her alone to do something about it. The mere thought of such happiness turned on its head by the wicked hand of a hollow… no, she would not let that be a risk.

A day passed, two days. She talked with Masaki, kept her company. She was exhausted, naturally, but Erza had never seen her happier. Her baby was a lively sort, with a small mop of orange hair- an unusual colour here in Japan. She had named him "Ichigo", an unusual name too.

Then, on the third day, it happened. In the evening, she felt a tremor across the spiritual particles of the town- it was a rift opening, a portal from Hueco Mundo. At first she thought it was just a normal hollow, and remained where she was, just outside Masaki's room. There were quincies in this town; let them handle it- Masaki and her little boy, her Ichigo, were more important.

But then she felt it, really felt it. It were no ordinary hollow- its reiatsu was thick and strong, emanating from its source with a power she knew was extraordinary. It had to be at least an Adjuchas- and it was coming closer, heading their way. Immediately, Erza grabbed the little pill Urahara had once given her from her pocket, and swallowed it. At once she popped out from the fake body, and drew her swords. It was possible one or two people in the hospital might see her; this place was lousy with spiritually aware humans- but it was the furthest thing from Erza's mind at the moment. Concentrating her hardest, she was keenly aware of her surroundings- exactly where the energy was coming from, what point of entry it might choose… she suppressed her own reiatsu as far as she could- the gigai would have masked it, and the element of surprise was nothing to scoff at. For minutes that felt like hours, she stood there, sword at the ready, waiting for the smallest hint that it might come at her.

Then she saw it down the hall. As if in slow motion, she saw two bony hands grab hold of a window-side, and in a smooth movement, the shape of a hollow had pulled itself inside, nearly jumping in. It had a triangular head, its mask protruding forward in a pointed edge. Its eyes glowed a menacing yellow, and it had a short tail moving about as if it had a mind of its own, and long, gangly legs and arms with little jagged spikes on them, and it stood no taller than Erza- small for a hollow, which would only mean one thing.

"Vasto Lorde." Erza mumbled to herself. Shit!

Carelessly, the creature strode down the hall, and Erza could feel a chill run down her spine. She had fought Halibel many a time, but Halibel had never wanted to kill her- and she had always won, still.

The hollow saw her, and walked forward slowly. Its feet were three-toed, and its fingers looked like a collection of thin, sharp knives when they moved. Up close it looked spider-like, like an insect given the shape of a man. It stopped a few meters before her, as if it had only noticed her just now.

"Ah." It said, its voice smooth and menacing. "Bright red hair. Ample bosoms. A shinigami's uniform. A fierce and steely expression. I believe you are known to me… Erza Scarlet." He let out a low, slow chuckle. "The one who saw Lord Aizen's glory and rejected it. How interesting that you should be here, barring my way. I am Aguerra Mantisse."

He bowed deeply, holding one thin arm across his chest.

"Vasto Lorde!" Erza snarled. "What brings you here?"

"Need you ask?" Aguerra said. "Naturally, I come for the child in the room behind you. A shinigami/quincy hybrid? The potential as a research subject, I am told, is immense."

"Over my dead body." Erza said fiercely.

"That can be arranged." Aguerra said, taking a step forward, raising an arm.

"One thing, though," Erza said, her blade wordlessly shifting into its shikai state, ready to shift shape at any moment,

"Yes?" Aguerra said, seeming less than concerned, as if she was some simple obstacle to move past without much trouble.

"Aizen respected my strength," Erza said, her sword held high and her eyes peeled on the hollow, checking for any shift in movement, any sign that it would attack, "and as such, I will not be killed easily. If we both let loose, then chances are that this whole building might get razed. You don't give a damn about human lives, I'm sure, but I don't think you will want to risk your prize being injured or even killed by accident."

Aguerra nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "A persuasive argument," he said, every word spoken slowly and with deliberation. "Very well, then. Let us go elsewhere."

In a flash, he sped off, out the hallway and through the window in the blink of an eye. Quickly, Erza followed suit, slipping into a shunpo. Damn it all! This would not be easy, not by any means- that was a Vasto Lorde, a hollow of the highest order… she might die fighting it. Aizen must have wanted this prize- Ichigo- badly. Masaki and he were sleeping so peacefully… and she would not let them be woken by a monster like that, not for as long as she drew breath.

After a mile or so, the monster stopped, standing in the ground, its arms raised in a mocking gesture, telling her to come at it. Erza landed in front of it- but refusing to face it on the ground, she jumped far up in the air, where she stayed. Shrugging, Aguerra followed suit, standing level with her a good fifty meters above the ground.

"Far, far off where you will hurt no human, even if you die." He said, his tone mostly apathetic, but also a little amused. "This strange weakness, I will never understand."

"I don't think you will, no." Erza said, scowling. "But I'm not here to talk. Give me your worst, you wretched beast, and I will throw it back at you tenfold."

"Ah, such harsh words, and with true determination behind them, too." Aguerra said, and he opened his mouth, revealing triple rows of pointed teeth. "I can see why Lord Aizen respected you."

In an instant, he shot forward, faster than even Erza's eyes could follow. By instinct alone, she caught his sharp, bony fingers on one hand with her blade, but the other hand slid past her guard, stabbing right into her gut. She spat blood, and let out a wheezing cough.

"Disappointing." Aguerra said, twisting the knife-like fingers he had buried in her gut.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Erza growled, almost screamed, and kicked the beast in the chest, sending him back. She limped, forcing herself to stay upright, as Tetsu no Tama shifted into two blades. It hurt- damn he had been fast! But she had hurt worse and still kept going- she was a shinigami, and she could take it.

Letting out a lout battle cry, she leaped forward, spinning around, furiously lashing out at Aguerra. She cut, slashed, moving her arms with all the speed she was capable of, turning into a whirlwind of deadly force that no ordinary hollow could have stood against. But Aguerra was no ordinary hollow- he was Vasto Lorde, and parried her every strike, catching each one neatly, every blow glancing off his bony hands.

"Valiant effort, but boring," he said, catching her two blades with one arm, and readied the other for a stabbing motion. Erza dodged under the attack, and in an instant her blades changed into one, the black greatsword Render. Roaring out again, she struck forward, cleaving downwards at the hollow. Effortlessly, he caught it with both arms crossed, although Erza could see a splinter of bone dropping to the ground.

"Still dull," he said, sounding unimpressed.

"DRAGON STRIKE!" Erza roared, and the energy charged through her blade, hitting Aguerra point blank. Exploding with thunderous force, it sent him flying, down toward the ground. It did not last, however- within seconds he had recovered, and willed himself up, toward her at furious speed. But there was a scar across his chest, cut right into his bony body… he was not invincible, not by any means.

"Better!" Aguerra cried, finally sounding less than bored. "Better, shinigami- but not nearly enough!"

He launched himself at her, arms spread and ready to unleash a cyclone of knives upon her. Time slowed; she had less than a second to react, but still everything felt perfectly clear. Her weapon had shifted into Breaker, the bearded axe, and like a batter facing a ball, she raised it and swiped at the hollow, just as he came at her. It came down with tremendous force- but Aguerra was not so simply beaten, and caught the hilt of her ace before it could connect with one arm, and stabbed out with his free hand. Erza ducked, bending herself backward, and immediately let her weapons shift form again, again becoming the twin swords. Working on pure instinct, she parried strike after strike, each second counting at least a dozen attacks. Halibel's training had served her well- her senses were sharp and her body fit, but even so she only barely avoided being cut. Taking the offensive, the hollow drove her back, attacking with relentless, vicious speed, his movements a complete blur. It was only a question of time- she had to get away, break off and-

But then he finally slid through her guard. Her blades had gone high for a split second, and with his long, bony fingers he caught them both with one hand, twisted them down and away, and slashed her with his free hand, cutting straight across her chest. She didn't even have time to gasp with pain; she had to just barely parry a strike aimed at her neck. Aguerra spun around, lashing out with his tail, sending her flying. Erza landed on her feet, panting.

"Not nearly enough." Aguerra said contemptuously. "Lord Aizen shall reward me when I bring him your head."

Erza was breathing heavily. She had been stabbed in five places, and now cut- her uniform was torn in several places, and blood was gushing from the cuts under her shihakusho. It had been shallow, lucky enough, but he was fast- not so fast she couldn't fight him, but just enough so that she couldn't keep up. If this went on, he'd score one hit after the other, until she bled out…

"Do you think I am done, monster?" Erza said, letting her reiatsu rise.

"There is fight in you yet." He remarked. "No, I suspect you are not. Had I the time, I would play with you for quite a while- see what exactly makes you scream. Peel off your skin, cut off a finger at a time, watch you try and fight without arms, without legs…" He let out a dry laugh, one that could almost have been mistaken for a cough. "Fortunately for you, Lord Aizen's trust means more. I will finish this, then gain his favour. That child shall become his greatest soldier- I only regret you will not live to feel the pain of seeing that happen."

Erza's reiatsu was spiking, at the highest output she could let out.

"I'll die before that happens." She growled. "But I'd rather you died first."

"Power will not help you." Aguerra said bemusedly, flexing his claws. "Is this some last, mad dash? A singular assault with everything on the line? It will not help you- I am faster and stronger than you."

"I told you," Erza growled, her voice turning to a roar as she spoke, "you haven't seen anything yet! BANKAI!"

"Patience, master." Said Tetsu no Tama. The two of them were sitting cross legged, outside the palace, beneath the tree she had once climbed up to. For years now, she had done all he asked- stayed true to herself, mastered her own power, learned his personality… she was on the cusp of unlocking that last piece, of finally gaining the greatest power of them all. The years she had spent in exile had not been in vain.

"I have shown nothing but patience." Erza said calmly. Any sign of frustration or irritation would upset her blade's spirit, she knew- he would take it as a sign of immaturity and weakness. "I will sit here for an eternity, if I must."

"So you will." The spirit said, nodding. "Tell me, Erza, what is my second name?"

"Tell me yourself." Erza said. It was much subtler than it seemed- she said it not out of demand, but to get a rise out of him, make him be the one to lose control. He knew it, she knew it; it was a game they had played for some time now.

"You know my name, in your heart," said Tetsu no Tama. "Deep down, it has always been there, buried like an old memory. All you have to do is find it. But for all your efforts, you have not. Are you not a failure, my weak and cowardly master?"

Another poke, without any genuine sentiment of spite or resentment.

"Failure is surrender. Victory lies not in overwhelming force, but in the ability to be beaten down a hundred times, and get up on one's feet a hundred and one times."

"So say the beaten cowards." Tetsu no Tama said calmly. "But perhaps I say that only those with pure strength are worthy."

"Then you lie." Erza said. Word games- out of all the trials left, word games was what he had chosen- frustrating like nothing else, yet essential. He had tested her strength; now he tested her wisdom.

"I do?" Tetsu no Tama said. His voice, always so quick to taking offense in the past, was calm and level.

"You are power." Erza said. "And you know there is more substance to your being than raw strength. You know full well that power is not just strength of arm, but knowing how and when to use it."

"Not incorrect," he said, "but are you speaking your heart's belief, or merely parroting what you expect I shall want to hear?"

"You once told me," Erza said, refusing to address his provocation, "that I should stop expecting reality to suit my ideals."

"You were most foolish and naïve, yes," the spirit said casually. "You may still be."

"At the time, I thought you meant that I should be less idealistic. That I should compromise on my beliefs, let go on them for the sake of pragmatism. That you wished for me to be a cynic."

"As I said: naïve and short-sighted."

"Always you spoke in riddles, expecting me to find out myself. You have been a harsh taskmaster."

"As I should be."

"But I know now what you meant, Tetsu no Tama." She looked him in the eye, confidence in her voice.

"I am all ears." He said, sounding quietly sarcastic.

"Lofty ideals may sound good and well," Erza said, laying out her explanation slowly and cautiously, "after all, who does not believe in justice, in kindness, in mercy and charity?"

"More than a few, but continue," Tetsu no Tama said.

"These are all worthy ideals," Erza said, her heart rushing as she felt it, her spirit melding with his, their souls feeling as one, "but if they cannot be applied to reality, what good are they? What is the point of believing in justice and kindness, if you cannot use it to protect those who need it? Reality is difficult, and what is and is not just may change from one time to the next. It is not an absolute idea, and thinking it is was folly. But that does not mean there is no such thing as justice- only that its existence looks different than I thought. When you said that… you meant for me to be practical. That should I want to protect the weak, then I must do so without getting lost in simple ideas of right and wrong- that I must think on what these actually mean before acting. But above all, I must act."

Tetsu no Tama simply nodded, and motioned for her to continue. Feeling a little unsure, Erza said,

"You never wanted me to let go of these ideas, because they are part of who I am- and you always wanted me to be true to myself. You… wanted me to be more than just a person with ideas. You wanted me to be everything I could be- and you didn't mean just in terms of being able to lift a sword."

"Is that all?" Tetsu no Tama said mockingly.

Erza's hand shot out, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him in close.

"I am Erza Scarlet, raised a mage by Fairy Tail." She said loudly and clearly. "I have never forgot what that meant. What is right and what is wrong might change, and I may have to make difficult decisions- ones that lead to big mistakes. I may have to compromise. But no matter what happens, no matter where I go, I will always be a Fairy Tail mage at heart- I may have lost every friend I had there, and I may never get them back, but they live in my memories and my heart, and I will never forget for what they stand. No matter what I may have to do, I will never go against their creed- to do good, to help others, to suffer no injustice. I will not change this, not for the Gotei, not for Aizen Sousuke, and not for you either! And if that does not suit you, then you can go to hell!"

Softly, Tetsu no Tama held her wrist, and gently removed it from her collar, taking her hand in both of his, and looked her in the eye with a small smile on his face.

"And so, my master, you know my name."

"…I do." Erza said breathlessly. "It is…"

"TETSUKEN YOSEITAMA!" Erza roared, her voice carrying across the sky, booming like thunder as her reiatsu climaxed, discharging in a flash of light. Aguerra held an arm over his eyes, temporarily blinded. When he looked back up, he saw his enemy stare down at him furiously, her eyes cold and confident.

Gone were the black robes of a shinigami; instead she was clothed in metal, a grand and finely detailed suit of plate mail covering everything but her head. Her chest, her arms and hands, her thigs, her feet, all were covered in dull grey plate. Power radiated from her, in calm, strong pulses, and in her hand was the great, tall axe from before.

"Bankai?" Aguerra sneered. "What sort of petty showing is this? I do not fear it, shinigami!"

"You will." Erza said calmly, and took a stance, readying herself to charge. This was the steel blade, the fairy soul, the armour she had once worn, reflected through her very soul, once a magic technique and now her bankai.

"Talk is cheap!" Aguerra hissed, leaping forward. Erza met his charge, moving forward in a flash. She was still hurt, bleeding, and this bankai, young as it was, drained her power quick- it was heavy to wear, and she had a long way to go before it was mastered. But it would be enough.

Clashing mid-air, Aguerra closed the distance lightning fast, cutting at her with his knife-like hands. But the once-lethal blades clattered harmlessly against the spirit-steel, and Erza let out a loud roar as she brought the axe down, cutting straight and hard into Aguerra's shoulder. The axe's edge buried itself in the hollow's flesh, cracking its hard shell with ease, and it screamed and hissed as it jumped back.

"You think this will help you?" Aguerra screeched, and Erza noticed the bleeding had stopped- not unsurprisingly, he had some measure of regeneration.

"If you make a turtle of yourself, then I shall pick away at you, you base shinigami filth!" He sneered. "Do not think I cannot read you- your move slower now! Your bankai is not power, only a trade!"

"I told you, Aguerra," Erza said, and her armour began to glow, "you haven't seen anything yet. Requip: Heaven's wheel!"

The armour shifted in an instant, into a light plate, hanging like scales over her body, great metal wings forming behind her back. It covered her from tip to toe, like the armour before, but it was lighter, and fit more loosely. At a thought's command, her weapon shifted again, becoming the twin swords. In the blink of an eye, she charged forward, cutting at the hollow with blinding speed. Now, the situation was reversed- just barely Aguerra kept up, as Erza methodically landed blow after blow, hammering each hit home like a sledgehammer, driving the hollow back one step after another. Snarling with frustration, Aguerra tried catching her swords with one hand to strike her, just as before- but he had only a split second, and his cut left but a scratch on Erza's chest. Mercilessly, Erza struck back, cutting the fingers off his hand with both her swords, immediately following up by a wide swing. Staggered, Aguerra caught one blade- but the other surged forward, and cut right through his arm. Erza looked him in the eye with contemptuous determination, and with a single movement, she twisted the sword and cut his arm off.

Once again, Aguerra shrieked, and leaped back.

"You think I have not lived through worse?!" He cried. "You think I became Vasto Lorde without winning impossible fights? I will regrow that arm- but not before I feast on your innards, YOU SIMPLE, IGNORANT SHINIGAMI BITCH!"

"You learn all sorts of things, living in the world of the living," Erza said coldly. "Like dogs. Humans love them. They make great pets. But the thing about dogs is, the smaller and weaker they are, the louder they bark. You didn't talk very much before, did you, Aguerra Mantisse?"

"ARROGANT CUNT!" The hollow roared, and charged forward wildly. Reading his movement expertly, Erza let her weapons phase out, grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him down forcefully, and kicked him in the back- hard. Aguerra let out a small sound, rather sounding like 'ack', and went tumbling down, crashing into the ground. A small crater formed, she saw as the dust settled down. Slowly, Erza descended after him.

Not beaten yet, the hollow was already on his feet, flexing his claws. The stump on his arm had already begun to grow, and he had power still- if he calmed down, this could be dangerous. Again, her armour glowed…

"Requip: Flame Empress." Erza said simply, and again the armour changed. The plate, now, was a simple and sleek black, covered in red, gold and orange, as if she were on fire. Draped around her shoulders were a cape, black on the inside and a fiery red on the outside.

"Render." She said, and the black greatsword formed in her hand once more, whole and terrifying. At her will, it caught fire, burning like a small conflagration in her hand, down the entire length of the blade. Calmly, she waited for Aguerra to get ready.

"You should have killed me already, if you could," it said, growling out the words. "You shinigami are so pathetic- honour, is that what you call it? We call it weakness."

"Tier Halibel calls it luxury." Erza said coolly, and she noticed him flinch a little at the mention of the name. "And you are not nearly as dangerous as she is. But at any rate, I do not need to be ruthless to defeat you."

It was a bit of tough talk, in the hopes of perhaps goading him. Luckily, it seemed to work.

"For my master Aizen!" Aguerra cried, charging forward, his one good arm cutting forward in a surgically precise strike. But Erza was ready for him, and caught the strike with her blade held high, redirecting it to swing wide. Quickly, she stepped forward, and kicked the hollow in the chest, knocking him off his feet, sending him tumbling a good few yards. Before he could recover, she leaped forward, and ran Breaker through his chest, pinning him to the ground like some grotesque insect under a needle. He squirmed and shrieked, his hand grasping at her blade, his body convulsing desperately.

"It cannot be!" He screamed. "You- you are petty and weak! Unworthy of Lord Aizen's cause! How- how could you possibly defeat me?"

"You succumbed to the luxury of arrogance." Erza said. "When you are sure you can win, that is when you can fall hard and far. For you, it is over."

"Arrogant? ARROGANT?!" Aguerra roared. "I am Vasto Lorde! I stand at the top of all hollows! I am a favoured servant of Lord Aizen! I deserve-"

"Burn." Erza said, and let her reiatsu pour into the blade, fanning the flames. They grew and grew, and within seconds they had enveloped the monster's body, eating through his bony body and flesh rapidly. The monster screamed and squirmed, desperately trying to claw itself free, but within a minute it had been reduced to ash. With one last scream, fading into nothingness, it was purged and purified. Erza looked around- aside from this crater by the roadside, the place seemed fine. Nobody hurt, no chaos, nobody crying… good.

She coughed, and staggered, and her bankai slipped away from her. It had consumed a considerable chunk of her reiatsu; she had to force herself to stay upright. She had unlocked the ultimate power, but damn it was unruly and vicious… she let Breaker fade away, too, and sealed her zanpakutou, sheathing it.

A Vasto Lorde. Her bankai, her power, it had allowed her to defeat a Vasto Lorde. One not nearly as powerful as Halibel, but still…

Halibel. Her too, she missed- she wondered what she must think of her now.

Then it struck her. Aizen. Aizen was a clever, conniving bastard, and there was no way that if he really wanted his prize, he would never rely on just a single piece on the board to get it. This… what if this was just a decoy? No, oh please no…

Quickly, forcing herself to speed away into a shunpo despite the pain and weariness, she ran, heading directly for the hospital.

Kreel was not much, as far as Menos went. He was small in stature, the shell on his back making him look like little more than a man-sized beetle, not helped by the single horn on his mask. He had just barely made adjuchas, surviving through the vicious process by the skin of his yellowing teeth, but he had come out small and weak. But he was a survivor, mainly because he had a knack for sneaking. Lord Aizen had seen this underhandedness for what it was- a strength, the same as any, and had sent him to the world of the living. Clever plan, yes-yes- big Aguerra and his claws would distract the nasty shinigami, and Kreel, small and vicious Kreel, would pluck the prize and bring it to Lord Aizen. He would be rewarded, noticed, favoured… maybe even made arrancar, once the time was right. He would ingratiate himself to an espada, become a servant, live well and safe…

He nearly lost himself in fantasies of triumph as he approached the chamber where the young one he sought was held. He had long since forgot what it was like, being human, and now it seemed such a pitiful affair- born small, weak and helpless, dependent on their flesh-incubators for decades… weak. Weaker than him. He could crush any of these people-seeds easily, and the thought of it filled him with glee.

No distractions, he decided. He was to be rewarded, and taking risks was bad- avoiding risks was what had let him live so long. He carefully trod through the hall, avoiding the frail little humans in his path. He had the scent now, yes- a strong reiatsu, unlike the weak souls around it. His mouth watered, with so many souls so close and so easy to take- but no, Kreel had come here for one thing only. Carefully, he moved inside the room where the scent came from. A human female, sleeping there, a people-seed lying on her chest. Cautiously, he reached out with one hand. Lord Aizen had been very specific- he was not to harm the little one in any way. If he did, he would regret it. The threat had been unspoken, and Kreel preferred it that way- he did not want to imagine what it was like being on the master's bad side. He reached out, his stubby fingers just inches away-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Kreel flinched, nearly tripping over himself, as he stumbled away from the bed. The voice was cold, in control, and came from the door- there stood a human, with grey hair and little glass things over his eyes, looking right at him.

"You- you see me?!" Kreel nearly shrieked, keeping his voice quiet. Humans weren't supposed to see you. They weren't supposed to know you were coming.

"Stay back! I will cut you open- eat your guts!" He snarled. It was just a human, after all. It had a bit of spirit to it, many humans in this town did- but it was just a human, and Kreel was not afraid of humans. He nearly felt ashamed, to have been startled by such a pitiful creature.

"Standing over my cousin's bed, a literal cradle-robber," The human said with distaste. "You are lucky I value her sleep, beast."

Kreel turned around, and raised his hands. Just the one human, asking for it… surely, the master would not hold that against him. Hissing, he took a step forward.

The human raised his arm, and Kreel saw something dangle from its wrist. In an instant, a bow took form in its hand, and with its free hand, the human strung it, an arrow taking shape on it. Suddenly, Kreel could feel it, spiritual energy and lots of it.

"Go away!" He snarled. "This does not concern you, human- go, go!"

"Die." The human said, and let loose an arrow. It hit Kreel in the chest, with tremendous force, and he staggered back, putting a crack in the wall behind him as he was forced back. It hurt; Kreel could feel it burn his very being, nasty like no cut he had ever taken before-

Then the human strung his bow again, and let another arrow loose, cracking straight through his mask. The last thing Kreel felt was pain, as his very being collapsed, turning into dust.

Irritably, Ryuken let his bow disintegrate, and lit a cigarette. There would be questions about how that wall had broken, and it was against the rules to smoke in patients' rooms, too…

Well, he'd make something up. He always did; he had experience in these things. Karakura Hospital was not in a place to fire doctors anyhow; if there was one thing he could be sure of with this profession, it was that he'd always have a job.

Quietly, he took another puff, and looked to Masaki and her boy. She looked so… peaceful. His mother positively loathed her for what she had done, running off an marrying a shinigami… which was a sign as sure as any that she was likely doing something right. They didn't talk much- for a second he considered waking her up, but something held him back. She was safe now, anyhow- she didn't need him fussing. She had plenty of people for that…

Putting out his cigarette, he walked back into the hallway. Approaching fast was that red-headed woman, who had sped off to fight that Vasto Lorde- good enough, saved him the trouble. She was running back now, right past him, to Masaki's room.

Ryuken kept walking. He wasn't anybody's hero, and he hadn't saved her to be thanked.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Erza Scarlets Bankai! I do hope you like it.

Now, I know that there is a possibility that some people will be a bit...disappointed by it. After all, its nothing more than what she has in cannon right? Well, truth be told, I had ALWAYS planned on this being what her bankai would be, from the very beginning. Why limit her to just ONE armor? I couldn't do it. Thus, I went this route.

Some may say that this was lazy, and boring, to that I say...Just when were you under the impression that her bankai was ONLY her cannon armors? I have plenty of original armor ideas that will be used for her bankai. What you've seen so far is merely her achieving it. She is not even CLOSE to mastering her bankai.

Now, some of you may also be wondering why its different from the bankai she used against Kenpachi. That, as I believe ive said before, was an INCOMPLETE bankai. Renji himself had one, and Ichigo has had atleast three changes to his (going on 4 now) Hell, Byakuya's has multiple stages, so this really shouldn't be an issue.

Now, some of you mght also ask this. "HOW THE HELL DID ERZA BEAT A VASTO LORDE?! THEY ARE STRONGER THAN CAPTAINS!" If you ask me...they arnt. They are EQUAL to captians. Now, when I say this, I'm referring to JUST a vasto lorde, not an ARRANCAR vasto lorde.

Keep this in mind, Only 4 of aizens Espada were vasto lorde. 4-1. All of them required some kind of power way beyond that of your average captain to beat. (stark lost to Shunsui, strong enough to be the current capatain commander, ulquiorra only died from Ichigos hollow form, Haribel was beaten easily by Aizen, and Baragan had to have his own hax used against him.)

Keep in mind, these are vasto lorde ARRANCAR. Not JUST Vasto lorde. Being an arrancar gives a huge power boost.

LAST but not least, the vasto lorde Erza thought, had JUST become one. He is WEAK for a vasto lorde. In other words, you could say he is the equivalent of RADITZ for vasto lorde. Strong? Yes. As strong as Haribel? No.

I do hope you all like me adding her to the Masaki house old. This, like the bankai, was planned from the start. Yoruichi wasn't, but I like her, and I can see her and Erza getting along great.

I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to leave a review, I GREATLY appreciate it.