Chapter 19: Guilt and Trust

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. I own nothing.

Hey guys! We're back!...A bit later than usual...with a shorter chapter than usual...Um...Better late than never?

Truth be told...I'm very upset with myself that this is the case. I always want to make sure to give you guys enough material, but with two months...this is all I can offer.

However, because I had posted TWO chapters in july, that's why this current one was so late. However, its MY fault that its so short, given how I couldn't come up with more content with this chapter. I'm very sorry about this.

That all said, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Thanks to Greatkingrat88 for writing this.

Last time she had been here, it had been pandemonium. Here, in the spiritual realm of her zanpakutou, she had seen large parts of it wrecked- pillars overturned, a large crack across the entire floor, furniture wrecked and overturned…

Now that she was back here again, she saw complete devastation. Only a few pillars stood up, and not one of them were even halfway whole. They had fallen, all over the room or off the cliff they rested on. The roof was gone, destroyed, and the floor looked more like the ground in a rock quarry than the marvelous marble it had been before. The furniture was gone, buried under mounds of rubble, piles of dirt, gravel and sand covering most of the floor. The staircase leading up to the palace was demolished; she had had to jump and climb to get past it. The once glorious, temple-like structure now looked like a temple ruin, ravaged by a thousand years of wind and sand. The only thing that was intact was the golden throne. Its staircase was scratched and chipped, full of little cracks, and the rug on it was dirty, soiled by dust and grit- but the throne stood tall, defiant in the face of all this chaos. And on top of it sat Tetsu no Tama, staring down at her, his arms on the arm-rests of the throne, his hands made into fists.

"You called?" Erza said cautiously, as she made her way toward the throne, carefully climbing over a piece of pillar, and walking over a pile of gravel after it. She braced herself- Tetsu no Tama was nothing if not proud, and a loss such as this would have made him furious.

"I was cut in half." He said, in a deceptively quiet tone. "That was a new and unwelcome sensation, Erza."

"…but that is not what made you angry." Erza said. "The eye does not complain that it must see, right?"

"Who said I was angry?" Tetsu no Tama snarled. "Angry? Angry? Do I look angry to you?"

Erza looked at his furiously scowling face, his clenched fists, and said,

"…you kind of do."

"Of course I am angry." Tetsu no Tama said, his voice now calm- but obviously strained. "We were beaten by a savage brute whose only merit was raw power, a being without class or subtlety, with nothing but the most base instinct- a pitiful creature too stupid to hear the cries of his own blade."

"I'm sorry-" Erza began.

"THAT is what makes me angry!" Tetsu no Tama snapped. "Your pathetic need to apologize! You were faced with a threat far beyond your level, my fool master, and you still held up valiantly. You should hold your head high with pride, that you have such a marvelous and powerful blade, such enormous determination and fighting spirit- not apologizing, like some mewling half-wit coward!"

He held his fist to his mouth, his voice almost trembling with rage, then lowered it again.

Erza gave a small, somber smile. "How could I look at all this," she said, gesturing at the ground around them, the disorder and destruction, "and not feel sad? This is your home, Tetsu no Tama, and look at the state of it. You were cut in half- you must have hurt, too."

"Inconsequential!" The spirit snapped. "I built this place from nothing once, with the strength of only my will- made manifest through your will. I will do so again. No, if you wish to console me, if I would accept such a pathetic token of affection and weakness, then become stronger. Resolve to stand tall in the face of the Kenpachis of this world, by staying true to yourself."

Erza blinked. "You are not… angry with me for losing?"

"I am angry with you for being weak and cowardly," Tetsu no Tama said, scowling still, "but this defeat?" He shook his head. "No, Erza. I ask the best of you, because neither of us deserve any less- but I am not unreasonable. Not every battle can be won, no matter the heart, will and pain you put into it. Sometimes, you are chanceless. What matters is that even though you knew you were outmatched, you did not even think of running- you knew that though out of options you were, the least bad one was to stand and fight."

"I… thanks." Erza said, feeling surprised.

"You are still weak and cowardly," Tetsu no Tama scoffed, "and had you known me better, you would not have needed to feel surprised at this. You have a long way to go, Erza."

"…yes," she said, nodding weakly, "I suppose I do."

"So, now that you tasted a fraction of my true power… what do you think?" She could have sworn she heard a hint of excitement through his stern, angry voice.

"It was… awesome," Erza said, making a fist. "I felt… incredible. I remember that armour- and it was strong enough to stop his sword."

"Without it, he would have cloven you in two, and we would not have this conversation," Tetsu no Tama said, nodding. "Mark my words, though- I did not give you that because you had earned it, but because his brutish ignorance was an affront to my pride as a zanpakutou." He shifted a little. "That… and I feared for your life." His voice was a little softer, if only for a second, and Erza smiled.

"You said you ask only the best of me just now," she said. "Is that… how all zanpakutou do it?"

"I know not the workings of other weapons," He said haughtily, "most of them are shamefully low class, inelegant and simple, and they interest me not. I know only what I ask- the best you could possibly do."

"And if I fall short?" Erza said. "If your true potential is never realized because I was very good, but not perfect?"

"Perfection is nothing, and nothing is perfect," the spirit said, "but the best you can be? That is what I want. Anything less is a half-baked, stillborn creation unworthy to be displayed to the world. If you one day gain bankai, then hold me high for all the world to see, that all may know my glory- our glory. I want everything, Erza- I want harmony, I want glory, I want power, I want strength- and if I cannot have that, then I want nothing at all."

"Everything or nothing? That's a rather extreme way of viewing the world," Erza said.

"I am a mirror of yourself, Erza," the spirit said with a smirk, "and are you anything less than extreme? Anything less than extraordinary? You are my master, and you have earned that title. What else, then, could I want, but everything I could possibly have? Everything you could possibly give me?"

Erza smiled, cracking into a grin.

"It's a deal, then," she said happily. "I'll give it my all, and I'll get to know you fully- and I'll earn that bankai one day. I'll give you everything, Tetsu no Tama. Just you wait- one day, before you know it, I'll show your full power to all the world."

"You are arrogant and brash," the spirit said, but his tone was approving, "just like myself. Demand more of the world, Erza, and more of yourself- and you may well find that it shall give more than you had thought."

That same night, Erza was on her way to meet Aizen and his two accomplices. She had received the summons the same day, the day she was let out of the hospital, and she wasn't quite sure what he wanted. Did it have to do with Kenpachi? It probably did… but surely, he couldn't blame her for it? It hadn't been her fault; she hadn't asked for it.

Feeling slightly nervous, Erza kept her head high, marching to the fifth division gardens under the cover of darkness. There, the three of them were already waiting for her, standing by a pond in the moonlight. Erza walked up to Aizen, and bowed quickly.

"Sir." She said curtly.

"Still so formal," Aizen said, smiling. "You need not worry- I am not here to scold you."

Was he a mind reader?

"This ordeal with Kenpachi… I am told you nearly died."

"Nearly is never enough, captain," Erza said stiffly. "I was able to survive. That is all that matters."

"You would think it that simple, yes," Tosen said disapprovingly. "We are planning for revolution- a war to create a new, better world. Everything matters, not just your endurance and hardiness, Scarlet. You were made a public spectacle of- you, who should be keeping yourself back. None of us should draw any more attention than is proper, and that was certainly not proper. You should have run, not-"

"Kaname, enough," Aizen said. His tone was gentle, but there was a firmness in his voice, and Tosen immediately closed his mouth.

"You believed you had no options, correct?" Aizen said, nodding at Erza. "That running would do you no good in the long run?"

"It was possible to run, I think," Erza said, nodding slowly, "but I wouldn't risk him taking it out on my friends. He is a monster- who knows what he might have done?"

Aizen nodded. "As expected of you, Erza. I recruited you because you had moral fiber, because you were exceptional- not every decision we make will be the most reasonable, but you made the best choice you could. But… be careful, Erza. Kaname is a bit overzealous, and I do not mind you doing the extraordinary- in fact, you acting restrained would be more suspicious than a ludicrous act like that. But make no mistake, we will one day be at war. Be cautious in your actions, Erza, because this is no game. Perhaps you could not run this time… but you may have to learn to run away in time."

"As you say," Erza said stiffly.

"Most importantly," Aizen said, "you must not fight Kenpachi again. Certainly not any time in the near future. You must avoid that at all costs. He is much too strong, and never mind the commotions- you might not be lucky enough to survive the next time."

"No need to give me an order like that." Erza said, making a fist. "He's out of my league. I hate to admit it, but I can't beat him- not even close. Not… yet, at least. I will be keeping out of his way, don't you worry."

"Good." Aizen said, smiling. "That was all, I think. I will see you in the morning, Erza." Giving her a nod, Aizen began to walk away, Tosen in tow like a dog on a leash. As she watched him walk away, she noticed that Gin was lingering- in the pale moonlight, he looked like a devil, more like a monster than ever. Feeling a chill creep up her spine, she began to walk away.

"Now, now, where y'all off to in such a hurry?" Gin said, in his regular lazy drawl.

"To my bed, captain. To go sleep." Erza said, and if she had sounded stiff before, she was now more rigid than a stone pillar.

"Real important, that. Gots t'get that beauty sleep, don't we? Wouldn't do t' carry out the revolution if we weren't looking our best, aye?"

"Sir?" Erza said, wishing he'd just keep quiet, and far away from her. No doubt sensing how uncomfortable she was, Gin took a few steps closer.

"Aw, nothin'," Gin said. "I'm just talkin', ain't I? That a crime, vice-captain, sir?"

"Of course not." Erza said, steeling herself. Though she was sure he'd never dare go against Aizen's orders, nothing about him made her feel like he wasn't a predator, like she shouldn't be ready to fight him off at a moment's notice. With a leering monster like himself, she would normally expect him to try and rape her- but she had the gnawing suspicion that if he did make a move, it would be much worse than that.

"Funny thing, revolutions," Gin said, sounding genuinely amused under his quiet, relaxed drawl, "they're so fulla people who think they're dead right about everything, that they'll make everything better if they just win. An' at the same time, they can spill whole oceans of blood and not even flinch, so long as they believe it's fer a good cause. Ain't that quaint, lil' Erza?"

"You don't believe in Aizen's vision?" Erza said defensively, staring intently at Gin, at every little movement he made.

"Oh, sure I do, sure I do," Gin said, holding his hands up mockingly, as if to calm her down, "a brighter t'morrow, an' all that. Lil' kids playing in the sunshine, not bein' afraid of hollows, or bullies, or nothin', having bright futures… aye, sure I believe in that."

If he believed in it, then Erza was the king of hollows. He was lying through his teeth, effortlessly and without even bothering to sound convincing.

"Well then-"

"Jus' like I knew it was proper honour when I had ter kill a family out'n the Rukongai 'cause their daddy had mouthed off t'Aizen, just a month ago. Sure, I didn't enjoy puttin' my sword in the two lil' kids, an' I sure didn't mean t'make their mother watch before I offed her, too. Sure didn't enjoy lookin' at the way their blood pooled inna moonlight. Nah, it was all fer 'the greater good'. I felt real sad about it, but this here is a great an' noble cause demands sacrifice. I just hope it don't make monsters of us all. Sure, a great an' noble person like Aizen, he'd never slip up, but me, I'm just a weak and uncertain person tryin' to do right, ain't I? Best just trust him, no matter what."

"Right…" Erza said. She couldn't tell what parts of it were made up or not. One thing was clear, he hadn't said a single word with any kind of honesty attached to it. "Blood… in the moonlight…"

"It looks black, y'see," Gin explained. "Trick of the eye. Ever wondered what yours would look like?" He took a step closer. Immediately, Erza reached for her zanpakutou.

"Just kiddin'," He said, holding his hands up again. Then, he opened his eyes, just once, and Erza saw the red in them.

"We got plenty of work t'do, lil' Erza," He said, his tone low and menacing, "and ya best follow our example if ya want to keep up."

With that, he turned around, and slowly walked away. Erza let out a long, trembling breath of relief, feeling shaken. Nothing he said could be trusted- not a single word. Yet somehow, deep down, she couldn't help but wonder… what cause could possibly be just, when it had the likes of him at its side?

Halibel sat cross-legged in her room, in quiet contemplation. It was a good way to spend time- in peace and quiet, a hard-earned privilege that she enjoyed. She was not one for many luxuries, but this, sitting undisturbed without having to fear for being attacked any second, that was a privilege worth having. Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun were all off in another room, quite safe… she was almost drifting into sleep, sitting deep in thought.

It was surprising, then- and if she had been more emotional, maybe even irritating- when her meditation was disturbed. She was only vaguely aware of the approaching reiatsu until her door was opened, quite forcefully at that, by Erza Scarlet. Opening her eyes, Halibel turned to look at her.

Erza didn't say a thing, not at first, simply marching up to Halibel. She had such a fierce look on her face, so determined- it was both impressive and a little bit adorable; being a shinigami she had always had it much easier, and that fierce look always looked out of place on people like her, in Halibel's opinion- but of course, it was very honest.

"Halibel." Erza said, standing in front of her. "I need your help."

Slowly, Halibel stood herself up, looking down on the young shinigami.

"Speak." She said simply.

"I need to become stronger." Erza said, and there was a hint of something different in her voice- she was usually so… chipper, so light-hearted, but now she sounded hard, a bit colder… maybe even disturbed.

"I need your help to do that."

"Do we not already train together?" Halibel asked, her tone staunch and stoic. Beneath it, though, she felt a little curious.

"Recently, I… I learned something about differences in power." Erza said, and made a fist. "I nearly died fighting a very strong shinigami. Some people are just… stronger."

"A good lesson." Halibel said approvingly. "Knowing one's place is a good way to not get oneself killed."

"I need to reach that level." Erza said firmly. "I need to fight people just that strong, until I reach my full potential and become just as strong as they are."

"You speak of bankai?" Halibel said. She was well aware of the zanpakutou a shinigami held, and the particulars of its power- she would gain one too, one day, when her lord Aizen found a way to transform her into an arrancar.

"No, not bankai," Erza said, shaking her head. "I do need one, eventually, but before that… I need everything else, Tier. I need to master my body. I need to master my swordwork. I need to master the chaos of a real fight. I need to learn everything I can about everything basic before I can even think of bankai."

Halibel raised an eyebrow. This was curious indeed- but she liked Erza's attitude. She was surprisingly humble for somebody so entitled.

"And if I were to beat you brutally over and over, giving you nothing but pain a thousand times over, would that really help?"

"Beat me as brutally as you like." Erza said. She swallowed, and added, "well, as brutally as you think is right. Then, show me why I lost, and what I can do to avoid losing to that in the future. Be my teacher, Halibel."

"I know nothing of the shinigami arts," Halibel said dismissively.

"Shinigami arts is not what I need." Erza insisted. "I need experience. You've only ever fought to survive, in the harshest, most vicious places anyone could imagine, and you came out on top. I can't imagine a better teacher than that."

"Is that so?" Halibel said contemplatively. "There is no formal art to fighting for your life, for winning. All I could do is fight, fight, fight, and I am not used to restraining myself… you could get hurt, maybe badly. Maybe even die."

"I'd rather risk it and try than stay safe and be weaker than I should." Erza said stubbornly.

Without a moment's warning, Halibel lashed out with her free arm- the one not fused with a gigantic bone blade- backhanding Erza. To the girl's credit, she managed to put her arms up to lessen the blow, but still went flying, tumbling across the floor. Erza coughed, but got up to her feet quick enough, and Halibel walked toward her, sword raised. Not bothering to wait, Halibel brought her bone-sword down, and Erza just barely managed to draw her blade to block it. Halibel held back; her strike was intentionally weak, but no doubt Erza still felt the effects.

"That- that was-" Erza grunted, pushing back against Halibel.

"You wanted to learn the way of the hollow." Halibel said calmly, and under her mask she was smiling. "There are no rules there. An attack could come at any moment, from anybody, without any mercy or restraint. Forget what you learned about 'fair' and 'right' if you want to master this, Erza Scarlet."

"You could go a little easier," Erza grunted. She continued to push back- then suddenly she relented, let Halibel push down, and redirected the force downwards. Her blade not in place to strike, Erza lunged forward, headbutting her. Halibel was not on to lavish praise on anybody, but it was a clever enough move- for a beginner. It was, of course, pointless- as soon as she had slammed her forehead into Halibel's, she staggered back, no doubt seeing stars.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow OW…" Erza murmured, a hand held to her head.

"I am taking it easy on you." Halibel said, the smallest hint of amusement in her voice. "If I weren't, you would have died a dozen times by now. I think some of the best advice, in this moment, is to not slam your head into the bones of somebody whose reiatsu is thicker than yours by a factor of ten."

"I-I learned that, yes," Erza murmured, rubbing her head still.

"Again?"

"Again."

Hours later, Halibel walked away, feeling at least warmed up- she had managed to work up a sweat, although the biggest challenge had been not snapping Erza like a twig. Vasto Lord or not, she had the hollow's killing instinct still.

Erza, for her part, looked a mess. She was on her knees on the marble floors of the room they had trained in, and blood and bruises were all over her face, her body, and she was positive she had cracked at least two ribs. She was exhausted, too- Halibel had claimed she was going easy on her, but if this was easy then she didn't want to know what hard was. But this was still the path she had to walk, the path to strength, the path to a future where she would stand on equal ground with monsters like Kenpachi… and win.

"You look like you need a hand." It was the ever so surprisingly kind voice of Neliel, always contrasting her grim appearance. She walked up to Erza, looking concerned.

"I'm- I'm fine," Erza said, breathing heavily. "Just… just need to… rest a bit."

"You need more than rest, I think." Neliel said, offering her her arm. "Are you badly hurt?"

Erza shook her head, and held up her hand.

"Good, then." Gently, Neliel took her arm, and pulled her up, putting Erza on her back.

"Keep your balance, and I'll take you to my room. Aizen-sama has left some medical supplies here, just in case."

"That… yeah, that'd be good right now." Erza said weakly, holding on to the centaur-like hollow as she gently trotted down the halls. For a race of monsters, they weren't terribly monstrous…

The next day, still feeling a little sore, Erza had just returned from a day of patrols- part of which had really just been listening to details of Aizen's plans to come, while his zanpakutou had conjured an illusion of her walking out- when she saw Momo, on her way back to her personal quarters.

Momo. Who might one day be her enemy, who might one day hate her as a traitor- no, Momo could never hate anyone. She would be heartbroken, and that was even worse. It was treason she was party to, all for a better tomorrow… a better tomorrow that would mean war, blood, death, that would mean friend against friend and all order turned upside down. And she would be fighting on the same side as Ichimaru Gin, not Hinamori Momo, and something about that felt very, very wrong.

"Oh, hello Erza," Momo said cheerily, waving at her as she walked by.

"Momo," Erza murmured, waving back unenthusiastically.

"Is something wrong?" Momo said, concern in her voice, stopping and standing face to face with Erza.

"No, no, I'm just fine" Erza lied, and felt a stab of guilt as she did, "I've just… had a lot on my mind lately."

"That's fine." Momo said, nodding understandingly. "I would feel down too… that whole thing with Zaraki-taichou, that was just wrong." She said, huffing indignantly.

"It's not that." Erza murmured. "I'm…"

She realized, and stopped herself not a moment too soon, that she wanted to tell her everything. Every clandestine little detail, every little part of the plan, get it all off her chest and damn the consequences. She hadn't realized, not until this moment, how much this had weighed on her. She was strong, always had been, but strength came in many varieties- and lying, keeping secrets, living two lives, that was not one of her strengths. She could see that plenty clear in this moment, with Momo's innocent, trusting face staring up at her. She wanted to tell her. But of course, she couldn't.

"Er, um," Erza said, struggling to come up with another lie, feeling yet another pang of guilt, "I feel… lost." She said lamely, at last.

"Lost, Erza?" Momo said, blinking at her innocently.

Erza drew a deep sigh, one bordering on a groan, and said,

"Look, have you ever… have you ever felt like you're walking down the wrong path in life? Like you made a mistake somewhere, and even though you thought you did the right thing, you might be doing it wrong anyhow?"

"What do you mean?" Momo said. "Is something bothering you? You always seem so sure of yourself, I didn't know you…"

Realizing the situation might well be slipping away from her- and gods help her if Ichimaru thought Momo knew something she shouldn't- she almost desperately managed, croaking the words out,

"I- I joined here. Years ago now. I wanted, uh, to make this a better place. I mean, not this," she said, gesturing vaguely at the space around them, "not the Gotei, but the whole of the Soul Society. I know that's a weird, stupid, impossible idea, but I wanted it to be better. I wanted the village I started in to be safe, and all the other villages, I didn't want them to be so weak and defenseless. I wanted to protect them all… so I joined here, far away from them- and that just feels ridiculous, but I had to- so I could help them. And I do. I send them money. But… it doesn't feel enough. At all. I can't help them, I can't protect them if they need me, not them and not anyone else, and even though I try really hard, that's the way it is. Sometimes I just wonder… did I really make the right choice? Did I really… should I ever have left?"

Lying worked better when you weren't technically lying, when Momo thought she meant joining the Gotei in the first place… it still made her feel guilty, but not as much.

"Never mind me." Erza murmured awkwardly, looking at Momo's confused expression. "I'm rambling. Forget I said anything."

"Everyone has these doubts." Momo said simply. "That's okay, I think. It's what makes us people. You worry about everyone, because you're a good person, Erza. Maybe you can't protect that village, but you can't protect everyone all of the time. All of us, each one, can't control a whole lot of our lives. We just do our best."

Quietly, Erza nodded.

"And remember," Momo continued, "if you hadn't joined up, I'd be dead right now. Me, and a whole lot more people. You did the right thing. You always do the right thing, because you're Erza. Even if choosing something is difficult, you'll always choose right, because you're a good person."

"I wish it were that easy." Erza murmured, but still felt some relief, Momo's words being like balm to an aching wound. "But… isn't it… should I really try? To look out for more than just my own? I can't hope to change the whole world."

"You want to make things better." Momo said firmly. "You do that, because it's who you are. How can you change the world, if you can't believe the impossible?"

Momo's words, innocent and sincere, resonated with her. They were Aizen's words, almost to the letter- but without the guile, without the ruthlessness and pragmatism, without the readiness to sacrifice and work with monsters, for the greater good…

They were words to live by.

"…maybe you're right." Erza said, smiling slightly. "Thank you, Momo."

"Any time!" Momo said cheerily. "Oh, shoot- I'll be late for cleaning duty! I have to run, Erza!"

Waving at her cheerily, Momo half ran, half marched away from there, and Erza let herself smile a genuine smile, for what felt like the first time in ages.

The years passed, one after the next, with a speed that seemed surreal. Always keeping the façade alive, always planning ahead, Erza felt uneasy every day. Knowing what she did was right, that there was a cause for it and that one day it would be over was little help. What Momo had said that one day had helped her believe, helped her stay her course- what they did was necessary, and revolution was never pretty- but still, the more it went on, the more she felt that hiding was not her style. This secrecy, this two-facedness, it came so naturally to Aizen… yet, it only made her uncomfortable.

Still, there were good times. Like today, the day of Nozomi's graduation. The five years had passed in a flash, the young girl working hard every step of the way, reaching the top of her classes. In between her duties, her training with Halibel- which had been harder than any she had gone through; the Vasto Lorde was absurdly strong and pushed her to her very limits- and whatever Aizen would need her for, she had had little time to visit. In the times she did, though, she had seen a clever, driven young woman, one with wit and intelligence and the will to make something of it.

Here she stood, five years later, a fully graduated shinigami, no longer wearing the red and white kimono of a student, a sword at her side, streaming out alongside a horde of fellow graduates, a sea of young, bright and hopeful faces, all clueless about what lay ahead of them…

But today was about Nozomi. Being an artificial construct hadn't hampered her any, as far as Erza could tell- if anything, it seemed to be in her favour; her reiatsu control was extraordinary, and she was at the top five in her kido class.

"Erza!" Nozomi cried cheerfully, almost screaming over the noise of her fellow ex-students. "Erza, I did it!"

Erza just waved, smiled, and waited for her to get closer.

"I did it!" Nozomi said, beaming at her, putting her hands at Erza's shoulders, a look of pure joy on her face. "I made it! I'm a shinigami now, Erza!"

"Well done," Erza said, and allowed herself a smile.

"It's all thanks to you," Nozomi cried cheerfully. "If you didn't-"

"Hush now," Erza said sharply.

"Oh, I know, I'm not stupid," Nozomi said, both of them knowing what each of them meant. "But… still."

"It's thanks to you, nobody else," Erza said firmly. "Your struggles and achievements belong to you, and nobody else."

Nozomi giggled, breaking into a laugh. "You're always so serious! Come on, now is a time to celebrate- go on and let loose with me! Unless uh, you're busy?" She could see the hopeful look in her eyes.

"I have time," Erza said, with a bit of reluctant cheer in her voice.

"Awesome!" Nozomi said. "Hey, can I join your squad? Your captain seems like a good man, and… well, I want to have a friend there." She grinned widely.

"You should give that decision careful thought," Erza said strictly, and the two of them began to walk away, the flow of students beginning to ebb, "it should not be done lightly, but with consideration."

"Always so serious." Nozomi said dismissively.

"But… if you really are sure, then it could be arranged." Erza said, nodding. Nozomi looked ready to burst with joy, and it pained Erza to bring her into the fold like this- only to keep the truth from one more person.

"Great!" Nozomi exclaimed. "When can we do it?"

"If you're insistent…" Erza said, tapping her chin. "If you really want it done quick, I could go get some forms from the captain's office. Then, we'll have a night out- I'll introduce you to my friends at the squad."

"Great!" Nozomi said. "All right… go ahead then. I'll wait here. Just don't take too long!"

Erza smiled, and nodded. "Not too long. Got it. You're sure-"

"Go!" Nozomi insisted, grinning widely.

Walking away, Erza smiled to herself. Even in deceit, there was something about such unabashed happiness that could not be denied.

Aizen's office was locked, but she had a key- a privilege to her status as vice-captain. She walked in, and lit the lamp. It was dark, night time coming soon, but she likely would stay up late. Celebrations were customarily of that nature, in her experience. Quietly, and trying not to mess with her captain's desk too much, she rummaged through his drawers. Application forms… they should be in here somewhere. Bottom drawer, maybe? Slowly, almost lazily, she looked through them. She was in no real hurry- they were here somewhere, and shouldn't be hard to find.

There, at the second to last drawer she checked, were the forms- wasn't it always so?- and Erza picked them out, and moved to shut the drawer-

It was strange how things worked. It was but a stray glance, a quick look telling her something was unusual, that made her see it. If she had just shut the drawer and walked out, it all might have been different. But she didn't.

Under a stack of papers in the drawer, she saw a large print of some kind- the paper was green, quite unlike the black and white of regular papers and its letterings, and the small corner of it that she could see was filled with little numbers, math equations far beyond her understanding. Curious, only curious and nothing else, she moved the stack a little. Was it some new paperwork? Some special order from higher up? They were rather silly sometimes-

Then a note caught her eye.

'Subject progressing according to design at last. Green hair, gene manipulation successful.'

What was this?

Erza took a closer look, pulling the paper out. Her breath a-trembling, she looked closer. They were… blueprints. Diagrams, designs, full of little notes scribbled here and there. Erza was no scientist, but it looked… familiar.

It was a design for artificial souls. Specifically, the design Nozomi had been built by; she could recognize the shape more and more now- the same height, the same properties, the same design…

This didn't make sense. All the blueprints had been destroyed back then. Aizen had said so. Looking carefully, she tried to make sense of it. It certainly wasn't Aizen's handwriting. The more she read, the more notes she saw- it became clear. These were Kageroza's notes, the now dead mad scientist. Here, in Aizen's desk.

He had lied to her.

DUN DUN DUN! Bet you didn't see that coming!...Oh who am I kidding, we ALL knew Aizen was up to no good, its Aizen! That said, I feel it necessary to tell you that despite this, his intentions for a better soul society ARE real.

Also, you may be wondering why Nozomi is acting so...openly. Well, I have an answer. In her arc, Nozomi had little to no contact with the outside world, and had no one she could really trust or even call her friend. By the end, she had started to open up, but only a little. This happened in the course of...lets say a week at most. Its been 5 YEARS. 5 years of her spending time with real people, interacting with them and getting to know them. Further more, Erza was the one responsible for finding her, she's the real reason why she's more open. More friendly. However, I should make it clear that Nozomi is only THIS happy and open with Erza. This is a side of Nozomi only shows to her.

She's still more friendly with strangers than she was in cannon to be sure, but she would still rather be by herself than making friends with complete strangers.

Now...I have other news to discuss. As of last month, I have posted a poll in my profile. This poll will only be used to ask for the opinion of the readers regarding ideas for the story. The votes however, do NOT mean however that the idea WILL be used. This will mostly be used to hear your thoughts and POSSIBLE be a tie breaker for ideas. Despite how well we get along, me and my writer sometimes disagree on what needs to be done. Your input will be vital in those moments when the two of us cant reach a compromise.

Again, I must make this clear, just because an option gets the most votes DOSNT mean it will be chosen. It just makes the odds of it happening much, much higher.

Please, if you feel interested, stop by my profile and cast your vote.

Thank you all SO much for your patience, and for reading, and a double thank you if you leave a review!