Chapter 27: Welcome And Farewell

Don't complain about this chapter seeming shorter. All do compared to that massive chapter 26. A lot of different scenes here so enjoy the arc's conclusion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Bleach. Shame, it would be great if I did

Protector Of The Fairies

Welcome And Farewell

Ichigo dropped down to the ground slowly, the final fragments of his mask vanished, and he quickly allowed his Bankai to end, his sword returning back to its sealed form. He quickly slid the sword back into its sheathe and finished his descend, landing next to Laxus's fallen form.

He hadn't expected to fight Laxus, let alone fight him with anger. Out of the two ways he liked to fight, he had annoyingly chosen the one his Hollow favoured. It must have been why he had managed to hear its voice during his fight. That Hollow always liked to make himself heard when he used that style, even if it was just a few words.

Right now, he debated what to do with Laxus. They had just been enemies, but he could see why Laxus had acted as he did. There was no way he could approve of it, but at least he understand why Laxus did those things.

And most of all, Laxus had been, and still was, his friend. Could he really leave him like this?

The answer was easy. Ichigo reached down and grabbed hold of Laxus, swinging the older Mage onto his shoulder before walking towards the Master. Makarov smiled as he approached, though it wasn't a happy smile. And why would it be? He had just defeated the Master's grandson and hurt him to such a degree, even if Laxus had just been an enemy. It had to be causing a lot of conflicting feelings at the moment.

"I'm going to sort out Laxus," Ichigo said, his tone leaving no room for debate. "I'll meet up at the guild later. Levy? You coming with me?"

Levy nodded, quickly running after Ichigo who hadn't waited for the answer. Shinji shrugged before quickly moving after the two while Toushirou hesitated for a moment. The chain around Bickslow suddenly loosened as the ice melted and before anyone could say anything, Toushirou was off, chasing after the others with his sword tucked away on his back.

Bickslow frowned before backing up slightly as he noticed the piercing gazes he was getting from Erza. "I'll be good."

"Do you surrender?"

"What would be the point of anymore fighting? Laxus has already lost, and none of us have the strength left to keep going. I think Freed would agree that we all concede. Victory is yours."

Natsu smiled before crashing his fists together. "It's not over yet! You and me Erza. Let's settle our last fight right now."

A fist smashed into Natsu's face, knowing him to the ground and causing him to black out. "Not now Natsu."

Mystogan shivered. "Wasn't that a bit excessive?"

"Do you want me to show you how I make people fall asleep?"

"Ah…" Mystogan suddenly flicked his wrist and all the staves glowed brightly. When they looked back, they noticed Mystogan had vanished, along with his staves.

"Where did he go?" Erza swept her eyes across the area, looking for the escaped Mage's location.

"Ignore him Erza," said Makarov in amusement. "Everyone is entitled to their own secrets. It's not like we can force others to tell them to us. If Mystogan wants to say them, then he will. Just not today."

Erza sighed in resignation before her armour flashed and she returned back to her normal Heart Kreuz Armour. "Very well then. I will have to force him to answer my questions next time."

"Good luck with that," muttered Gajeel. Even having been in another guild, he had heard enough about this Mystogan to know one simple fact. Finding him was one of the hardest things someone could do. And that had to have been why Mystogan got so close to the other Phantom Lord branches despite them being on alert. They simply hadn't seen him coming.

"Hey Master. Is it really okay to let Laxus go like he is? I mean surely it would be better to keep him locked up somewhere in the guild till we know he won't suddenly attack us again."

"There's no need." Makarov glanced towards where Ichigo had disappeared to. "He's with Ichigo after all. I doubt he'll let Laxus do as he pleases. Besides, I don't think Laxus will be trying this again."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Huh?" Makarov scratched his head. "Just call it an old man's intuition."

Gajeel glanced towards the rubble of the cathedral. "So what do we do about all of this?"

Makarov didn't move, instead slowly going whiter and whiter.

"I mean it will be hard to cover this up. We just have a massive showdown in this place."

Makarov breathed in once carefully, trying to calm himself. Finally, he looked towards the collapsed Dragon Slayer nearby.

"I've got an idea."

"Who in the right mind would believe Natsu-"

"It's Natsu."

"You know, looking at his past and, well even some of the stuff he does occasionally now, that actually would make a lot of sense."

"Exactly. Erza?"

Erza saluted from her position in the rubble, Natsu's body already positioned correctly in it to make the destruction caused look like his. "Already done."

"Now you all know the drill. Avoid damages carefully. When you do make them however, run as far away as possible and hope that no one realises it was your fault."

"FAIRY TAIL!"

"TOO LATER! RUN!"

Protector Of The Fairies

Laxus slowly forced his eyes to open, confused for a moment as he tried to remember what had happened. He had beaten by Ichigo and had then what? Blacked out? He supposed the exhaustion and his wounds must have finally gotten to him.

Where was he anyway? This wasn't the guild hall. He had expected to have been held imprisoned somewhere in case he tried again the moment he recovered. He had no reason anymore to keep on trying but they should have still taken precautions.

A burst of pain rippled through his chest and he looked down at it to see a blue haired girl sitting on him. "Get off Levy."

"Huh?" Levy glanced up from her book and looked down at him. "Did you say something?"

"Get off."

Levy shook her head and showed him a smirk. "I'm quite happy with my seat here. I think I'll stay here a bit longer."

Laxus sighed. He supposed he deserved that. She was trying to get revenge for not being listened too by him. And to make it worse, she had been right. Ichigo had sided against him as she must have predicted. He could practically feel the smugness radiating off her.

He glanced around the room, recognising it as his own. What was he doing back at Ichigo's house?

"You really thought Ichigo would leave you in the rubble or not treat your injuries? You really are an idiot sometimes."

Laxus didn't bother disputing her claim. He really had been such an idiot. "Where's Ichigo?"

Levy shrugged. "Not sure. I think he said something about going to visit the Master and try and get the others he brought with him into the guild."

"I see." Laxus smiled. "It seems like all of us gathered a few people to us during these past years."

Levy smiled too. "Cana came a long way. I just wish she hadn't been caught off guard before she could get serious against Freed. I bet she would have won."

Laxus scoffed. "Please. Freed would tear her apart."

"I could probably take on both of them at once," stated a newcomer. Levy and Laxus glanced towards the intruder.

"Who are you?"

"Hello Shinji."

Laxus glanced towards Levy. "How the hell do you know who this guy is?"

"You said yourself that you knew Ichigo had allies with him."

"Yeah but I don't know which is which. Runes don't have pictures to put with faces."

Shinji smirked. "You two are a lot like Ichigo described. Especially you Laxus. You seem to be acting a lot like the stories I heard of you."

Laxus frowned at him. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. Ichigo wouldn't stop talking about this 'Team Fairy' he had been a part of. He spoke of you guys more than anything else in his past."

Laxus couldn't hide the small smile on his face at those words. "Didn't know he would speak so much about us." Laxus's smile dropped to be replaced by a frown. "I must have really ruined this for Ichigo. I doubt he wanted to return home to face me in battle."

Shinji shrugged as he pulled up a chair from Laxus's desk and sat down on it. "Ichigo doesn't hold grudges for very long, or at least not for something as small as this."

"This wasn't a small thing."

"True, but it is to Ichigo. Trust me, if you had really upset Ichigo because of your actions, you wouldn't still be alive. He wouldn't have taken you and treated your wounds if you had done something he wouldn't be able to forgive."

"Ichigo can use Healing Magic?"

"Well Toushirou can but Ichigo ordered him, and Toushirou sometimes gets a bit obsessive in following orders from him. He's like an extension of Ichigo's will at times, hence Ichigo healed you because he order Toushirou to heal you."

"I see." An image flashed through Laxus's mind in recognition. "Sounds like Freed."

"That Rune guy? Suppose they could be similar. Does Freed follow your orders as if you were a king?"

"Probably."

"Then yeah, the two have quite a bit in common." Shinji smirked sinisterly. "Don't tell the squirt I said this but he was extremely bad in the early days. He even tried to style his hair like Ichigo's and copy his actions. Considering his age, it was actually quite cute at times. And Toushirou had no idea that I was laughing at him each time when he wasn't looking."

Laxus laughed. "Definitely another Freed."

Levy pouted. "Why couldn't Cana have been like that? Instead she dragged me out to bars and stuff. I ended up paying for her tab. And she rarely pays it."

The group fell into silence as each distracted themselves with different things. Slowly, Levy went back to her book, still refusing to budge from her position. Shinji rested his Zanpaktou against his side and let himself fall into a half mediation while Laxus just laid there on his bed, thinking.

Ichigo had really become much stronger than he had ever predicted possible. So had Levy too. And while he himself had gotten stronger, he hadn't done as much as the others. Sure he made a new technique or two and refined his Lightning Form, but it wasn't nearly as grand as the others in their development. He had slacked off, letting himself become happy with his current self. That wasn't enough for him anymore.

He needed to change like the others. And he knew just what was necessary for that to happen.

Protector Of The Fairies

Toushirou frowned at the situation he had ended up in. It had all started when Ichigo had taken him and Shinji to the guild to join. A lot of the Mages there had looked at them in surprise, a lot of glances being aimed at Ichigo due to the length of time that had passed.

The glances had then shifted over towards him and Shinji, and once they had been introduced everyone knew who they were instantly. They must have seen a Rune update or something that said that they had beaten one of the Thunder God Tribe.

Straight after that news was passed round, the guild broke into celebration. They had already been happy before but it was now madness. He felt himself getting washed away in the crowds as groups of Mages kept introducing themselves to him and asking him stuff. A lot of questions seem to relate to either Shinigami or his age. They always seemed shocked to know he was twelve yet still managed to defeat Bickslow.

Eventually, after he finally broke through, he met the Master again. The mood wasn't as serious as it was last time and it seemed the Master had forced himself out of bed to the guild's frustration. His excuse had been that he had wanted to meet the new members personally, and claimed that the first time they had met didn't count.

The horrible trial he had been prepared for never happened, despite the warnings he had heard from Ichigo. Shinji had enjoyed making fun of his confusion and claimed that he knew from the start that there would not have been a twenty foot high lizard. How had he been supposed to know it hadn't been true? When it came to Magic, a lot of things were possible.

He had gotten his guild mark like Ichigo had while Shinji had chosen a completely different idea. Somehow, and he still had no idea how the blonde had done this, Shinji had managed to reverse the guild stamp before placing it just above his ankle on his right foot. Even the Master seemed shocked at what Shinji had done.

Now though, he found himself stuck between two people at the bar. Ichigo had already disappeared into the back with the Master while Shinji had vanished, leaving no one able to help him. And it was getting harder and harder to stop the woman next to him from forcing him to drink.

And that was the problem on the right. On the left was, for some reason, once of the members of the Thunder God Tribe, sitting silently but at the same time throwing him looks of understanding. It was really getting annoying since he had no idea of why the man was doing it.

"Hey Freed," said Cana, shoving a mug past Toushirou and towards Freed. "Come on. Drink a bit. Don't be so quiet over there."

"I'm fine here," Freed said, his attempts of forcing the mug away not going as well as he would have wanted.

"What? Why not? This is some really good stuff the Master broke out."

"Didn't you say you stole this from the storerooms below us?"

"Same difference."

Toushirou sighed. Again, he kept wondering how this situation had ended up happening. You had one person who had been defeated by the Thunder God Tribe, one who had defeated a member of the Thunder God Tribe, and one who was a member of that very group itself.

"Come on Toushirou," said Cana as she tried to encourage him to speak more. "Join in with us. Take a drink. Smile a bit more. You helped save us after all."

Toushirou glared at her. "Why are you being so friendly to me? I've never met you in my life yet you're acting like we're old friends."

Cana shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be? You'd find it hard to find any member of Fairy Tail who wouldn't welcome a new member in open arms. Well… except if the new guy had been an enemy, but we accept them too in the end."

"What about me?" Freed pointed a finger at himself. "I was a member of this guild yet I went against all of you."

"Lighten up. If we are mad at anyone, it's Laxus. A soldier follows the orders of the general, and because of that we can't hate you for what you did. You were only trying to follow the orders of the one closest too you."

Freed shook his head. "I can't accept that so easily. What I did… I didn't have to take part. I could have said no. I could have refused. Laxus isn't evil. He would have accepted it if we didn't want to take part."

"We all make mistakes." Cana glanced down at her glass in guilt. "For all my talk on avenging Juvia, I did a very poor job on it. I kept holding back."

"I saw that." Freed looked towards her curiously. "What were you about to try? I didn't recognise it but I didn't want to wait around to see what it was."

Cana tapped her nose with her finger and gave him a wink. "Sorry. A girl's got to have her secrets. Stick around the guild long enough and get to the S Class Trials this year, and I might just show you."

Freed nodded. "We will finish our fight when that date comes around then. I won't accept anything but the best from a fellow Team Fairy apprentice."

"You better get stronger too." Cana suddenly shot an arm out and grabbed Toushirou as he slowly backed away. "You better do the same too. I heard you beat Bickslow but don't get happy at just one victory. Ichigo was your teacher, Levy was mine, and Freed's was Laxus. I'm expecting big things from you too."

Freed nodded in encouragement. "Don't let age get in the way. You can stand up strong with the rest of us."

Toushirou sighed, allowing himself to get dragged back to the group. It looked like he wouldn't be able to escape these two very easily.

"What was it like training with Ichigo?"

Toushirou glanced towards Cana at her question. "It was training."

"Yeah but what was it like?"

"I don't understand what you mean. It was simply training."

Freed seemed to nod in understanding. "He was the only one who ever trained you wasn't he. You don't know how other people train so you can't compare the experiences."

Toushirou nodded. "I suppose. So did you guys have to run for your lives as your teacher chases after you?"

Freed and Cana froze before a shiver went down their spines. "On second thoughts, I don't want to know what kind of training you did. I feel bad for complaining when my training was too harsh but yours sounds horrible."

Toushirou shook his head quickly. "It was alright. I'm sure he wouldn't kill me… Well I'm almost sure. You learn quickly or you pay the price. Shinji took to it with ease, though he loved making it harder for me by joining in."

"We are taught in similar ways to those that were used to teach our teachers. I guess me and Cana just got lucky that Laxus and Levy had been trained in… normal ways."

"Is risk of death not there in normal training?"

"Not in normal training. Maybe it's because you're a Shinigami. You can take more than most and need to learn early on how to deal with swords. A kill or be killed instinct when striking. I had to be taught a similar principle when I started out with my sword."

Toushirou actually looked at Freed in interest at the mention of swords. "Really? What is your sword like?"

"It is the most wonderful sword in existence, the blade that strikes with the will of the Fairies and dances through guards with ease. The blade of which my runes become reality with a mere slash of my blade."

"In other words," said Cana with a laugh, "it's a Magic conductor."

"I see." Toushirou looked away as Freed dropped his head in disappointment.

"Don't compare it to a Zanpaktou," muttered Freed dejectedly. "Not all of us get a living blade as our ally, but we make do with simple ones such as mine. Besides, it does not matter how powerful a blade is but of the strength of the one using it."

Freed glanced towards Toushirou and gave him a guarded look. "You should remember that. Bickslow told me about your Zanpaktou, and it is indeed powerful. You should make sure you don't come to rely on it too much and start to believe that the power within it can substitute for your own."

Toushirou looked at him in annoyance but accepted the advice none the less. "I'm sure I can tell the difference. It isn't like I'm not going to use it though. Some Shinigami use their Zanpaktou all the time in battle. I am closer to that type than most due to the nature of my Zanpaktou. Others choose to rarely use it at all, saving it for the direst of situations. And some just use it when they need to."

"Just keep it in mind. If you were to lose the power of your Zanpaktou, what would you do then? If the enemy could perfectly neutralise its abilities or stop it from activating, could you win without it?"

Toushirou didn't answer, and before Freed could add anymore, Cana interrupted him as her glass hit the table.

"Don't get so serious. Come on already, let's celebrate for now. I just want to get completely smashed."

Freed sighed before bringing up his own glass. "Very well then. To Fairy Tail, and to its happy future."

"I'll drink to that."

The two glanced at Toushirou who finally complied and raised the glass of orange juice Mirajane had given him earlier when he had been dragged over by Cana.

"To Fairy Tail."

Protector Of The Fairies

Ichigo shuffled about on his chair, his sword laid against the wall beside him. The silence was killing him, and it was even more awkward due to the stares he was getting from the Master. The Master had done nothing but stare at him since he had entered the room with him, and it was quite frankly hard to ignore.

Why was he getting these stares? It wasn't the same ones he was familiar with either. Those ones he understood. These ones were as if he was being revaluated, but he didn't think Gildarts had even gotten these looks when he had been away for a long time. Maybe it was because he hadn't been in contact with anyone for the past three years but there could easily be another reason. Still, it was annoying. Why couldn't the Master just-

"I'm sorry."

Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts, half confused at if the Master had managed to read his mind or just had very good timing.

"I truly am sorry."

But here the Master was, his head bowed as if he was asking, or even begging, for forgiveness. And Ichigo didn't have the faintest clue why.

"Come on," Ichigo said in an attempt to reassure the old man. "Bring your head back up. Why are you trying to apologise to me? Why do you need to?"

Makarov shook his head. "I know Ichigo. We all know."

Ichigo froze, his eyes scanning the Master in both confusion but also realisation. "Laxus…"

"The guild didn't change for no reason Ichigo. Laxus told us everything. What you had been doing… What the actions the guild had caused had done… And what my stupidity had done."

Makarov brought his head back up and stared directly at Ichigo, his eyes darkened from his sadness. "I talk a lot about this guild being a family don't I? I treat everyone equal, or at least I like to think I do. I even reach out an arm to those in need, even if they aren't in out guild. Just look at Gajeel for instant. He was our enemy, but I still tried to help him so he wouldn't fall into darkness. But what did I do for you?"

Makarov slammed a fist down on the side of his bed, a crack being heard. "Nothing! I did nothing. I pushed you away, shunned you, viewed you as a threat and a black sheep despite the fact that you were a better member of Fairy Tail than I was."

The Master sighed as he slumped down against the pillows on the bed. "I was an idiot. I see it all now. When you first arrived, I knew you had been taught by Kisuke. It wasn't clear at first but you were so much like him in a lot of ways. And why wouldn't you be too. He would have taught you from a young age and you would have unconsciously taken on some of his traits because you would have been impressionable. Children are like that."

"I suppose I would have taken on a few traits of his. A got my Kidou style from him after all."

"Exactly. And that is all I saw it as. I viewed him as your teacher and treated you kindly. But after that mission all those years ago, the day you came back covered in blood, I admit that I was afraid."

Makarov sighed. "At first it was for you. But as you went on more missions, that fear shifted. I began to fear that Kisuke had passed on more than just his teachings. Kisuke never had the best of morals, and I believe they loosened even more when he joined the Council. I feared he had passed those same morals onto you."

"And you feared that I went on those missions because something like death wasn't bothering me."

"I believed you enjoyed death. And I pushed you away. I made it so you couldn't approach me anymore, and I should never have done that. If it had been anyone else, they would have gotten angry at me and actually would have shown it. But you never did. You just kept taking on missions, missions that were for our sake, and just shouldered my scorn alone."

Makarov clenched his fists. "I understand why Laxus was so angry at me. I understand why he still is. Because I never asked you why. I never tried to understand, and just assumed. I should have expressed my distaste to you and should have gotten you to explain to me why you took those missions. I should have listened to Laxus's warnings about the destruction we were causing, and instead I played it off. And the worst part was that I doubt I would have believed it if I was told it too. I would have said to not worry about it and that would have ended up getting the guild ruined. Because I couldn't control the members back then and instead let them run wild, you were left to save the guild all by yourself."

A short harsh laugh erupted from Makarov's throat. "And you know what? In the end, you were the truest member of Fairy Tail. We all pride ourselves on helping one another, protecting them from harm. But you did what no one else could. You took on a burden that no one should have been able to handle alone, and dealt with it even as it crushed you bit by bit. The scorn from me, the missions themselves, and you never once asked for help. If you had asked, Levy and Laxus would have willingly thrown themselves into the darkness after you, but I remember what you were always like, and I should have always have kept that in mind."

Makarov looked directly towards Ichigo. "You were, and still are, the kind of person who would rather not let anyone have to do anything because you would rather protect them yourself. Why let them have to even get hurt when you can take the pain for them, even if it was too much for you to manage. Gildarts saw it, even tried to tell me about it, but I didn't listen. I just assumed I was right."

Ichigo laughed. "I suppose I am a bit like that sometimes. I'm guessing that whole fight with Gildarts didn't help your opinion of me much did it?"

"No, it didn't. Willingly letting yourself get possessed just for revenge is one of the only times where I truly believe I was in the right to be angry you."

Ichigo looked away. "I admit it wasn't the best decision I ever made. Shinji alright ripped into me about that so you don't need to start on it. I know it was stupid. I… I just can't explain it. I wasn't afraid of the voice… I still don't understand why. Hell, that guy isn't even acting as Shinji said it should."

"Voice?" Makarov looked at Ichigo in confusion. "What voice? You know who possessed you?"

"Yeah." Ichigo paused for a moment, unsure if to say anymore. He finally relented though. "It's something inside of me. An Inner Hollow."

"It's a part of you then. That does explain where that regeneration you showed when possessed came from."

"You're right on that part. I can control it now though."

"I saw. You were healing your wounds as you fought Laxus. I doubt many people noticed but you were doing so. And that mask at the end? I felt the Magical Power you were releasing."

"That was me drawing upon its full strength. Don't worry, I'm in control of it. I still try not to use it too often if I can. I save it for extreme cases."

"Like that attack of Laxus's?"

Ichigo nodded. "I don't know how he made such a thing, but it was strong. I had to shatter it completely as even a small piece of it would have been dangerous."

"I see then." The Master stared at Ichigo a bit more before finally nodding. "I'm going to trust you on this. I won't deny that that power scares me slightly but I made a mistake before when I let my fear control me. This time, I'm going to trust you."

"What about Laxus?"

Makarov looked down sadly. "What he did, the pain he caused, cannot be overlooked."

"He did it in my name. So-"

"Don't you dare!" Despite barely able to stand, the aura Makarov was emitting was immense. "Don't you dare. This was not your fault. I won't have you held responsible for actions Laxus did, even if he claimed he was doing it for you. That was his way to justified it all, not to us, but to himself."

"But in the end-"

"I saw it too." Makarov sighed. "He knew you would win. He knew that last attack of his would fail. I wondered why he did it, and I realised the answer only moments after. He wanted you to be accepted here. He always did. And did you see what happened when you walked in here? You were treated as a hero."

"They gave me too much credit. They were dealing with much more and winning before I came."

"But you still defeated Laxus. You crushed a villain who threatened all of Fairy Tail."

"Laxus isn't a villain."

"But it is all in appearances. His first attempt failed but when he realised he had failed, he improvised. He worked out a new way for you to be accepted by everyone. If there is a villain, there must be a hero."

Ichigo slumped down on his chair. "I didn't want to have to fight Laxus. Why did it come to this?"

"Blame me. I caused this all."

Ichigo slowly rose from his seat. "I can't do that."

"Then you truly are a better man than I am."

"What will happen to Laxus now?"

Makarov looked away. "You remember what happened to his father."

Ichigo sighed but he didn't say anything, instead turning towards the door.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo froze as he reached the door, his head twisting round to face the Master. "Yeah?"

Makarov bowed his head once more. "I truly am sorry I caused all of this. I know it is too late to try and act grandfatherly now to you, but I'm still so very sorry."

Glanced upwards, Makarov was treated to a small smile instead. "Don't worry about it already. I never blamed you so you don't need to keep apologising already. Besides, I wouldn't want to deprive you from your grandfather persona. Then who would you be?"

Ichigo frowned as he glanced down at his coat. "By the way, did you voucher for me to get this or something? Juushirou said you had a role in it but he never said how much."

"I nominated you. I admit it was partly for me too though. At least this way, any missions you do have to be those that the Council must look good from. Here, you have to be a light."

Ichigo gave Makarov a nod in thanks. "That will make things a bit easier. Thank you. This wasn't a pity thing though? I don't want bribes for forgiveness."

"Don't be absurd. You think I'd even let you take this position if I thought you weren't capable of it? You certainly have the strength, and your character itself didn't change which was what made you perfect for this kind of role. And besides, you are the only person in Fairy Tail that I would even nominate for such a role."

"Really?" Ichigo looked at Makarov curiously. "What about Gildarts?"

"You want that man to stay in one place for a long period of time? He goes on long, and I mean long, missions. He would never be able to be contacted easily or receive a message quickly enough, except from me of course. And don't even get me started on the others. Have you seen how they act in front of the Council? They may have gotten more controlled but they still find it hard to deal with them. No, it's only really me and you here that have the patience for it, even with your so called rude attitude to them. Well there's Walrod too. I'll introduce you to him next time we are all assembled."

"Thanks. And I'm not rude, I just don't hold back what I say to them. If I can say it to someone in the guild, I can say it to one of them."

"What did you get offered in return for taking the position? I heard you mention that part to Laxus."

"A bit of relief on damages like before, the odd blind eye if things get bad. Bet it would have been useful for you all after that whole battle with Phantom Lord."

Makarov chuckled awkwardly. "That it would have."

"Then again…" Ichigo scratched his head in thought. "I may have not been able to use it since I'd probably be at the frontlines attacking that guild myself."

"Was that all?"

"You're curious aren't you?" Ichigo glanced at Makarov carefully, observing him to see if he could see any hidden motives. In the end he finally decided to just say it. The Master was just honestly curious after all, especially since it was the only non-Fairy Tail related part of why he took the position.

"I have a bit of cover in terms of protection. It helps keep Shinji safe."

Makarov looked confused at that statement. "What are you talking about?"

Ichigo sighed and turned to leave. "The Council's word is law. I just get a little loophole around it sometimes. And without it… Well they'd probably have someone do the same jobs I use to do. And Shinji would be number one on their list."

As Ichigo left, Makarov smiled softly. The amount of faith Ichigo would have put in him to tell him that last part, even if not intentional, was surprising. Maybe he still had a chance to fix everything. Ichigo said that he didn't blame him.

Despite Ichigo's words, he couldn't let it go like this. He may have been forgiven, but he still had a lot to do. For now, he would try and act as he should have always done. And maybe one day, he could finally forgive himself for what he had done.

There was one thing for certain. Fairy Tail was going to be okay. Ichigo was back, and this time he knew that he would never have to worry about Ichigo. For now, he would enjoy the peace.

"Oh Master."

Makarov shot his head round to the door to see Ichigo's head sticking back round it.

"How did you manage to bring down the damage costs anyway?"

"Ah…" Makarov shivered. "They aren't exactly down."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say that just because you don't heard about Fairy Tail's damages anymore, it doesn't mean they aren't happening. It's just a little bit more… selective."

"So that means-"

"HEY! At least we don't have too many complaints anymore. A lot of them were civilians because we destroyed their homes. Now we limit it more to other places… like national monuments."

"So that cathedral in Magnolia…"

"Yep."

"At least it explains why Fairy Tail isn't as rich as some guilds."

"You have no idea."

Protector Of The Fairies

Laxus glanced backwards at the parade, smiling slightly at the raised hand of his grandfather. And then he turned, heading off from the crowds and towards the exit of Magnolia.

He had been kicked out. He understood why. He had no right to stay in the guild anymore after what he had caused and done. He had to suffer the consequences of his actions.

"Not even going to say goodbye?"

Laxus turned his head, spotting Ichigo sitting on the edge of a wall. "Did you?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Suppose not, just so long as you plan to come back one day."

Laxus smiled widely. "I'll be back. I told you that I'll one day be the Master of Fairy Tail, and I haven't given up on that yet. I'll find a way to redeem myself for what I've done, and maybe then I'll be able to come back."

"You know the punishment might have been a bit easier on you if you hadn't gone for overkill at the end of our fight. What was that anyway?"

"I told you. It was my trump card."

"That's a very strong trump card. You needed to get a lot of Magic back to even use it."

Laxus laughed. "You think I'm the only one with a Spell like this? Levy has her own Solid Script Spell that consumes a similar percentage of her Magic. The only difference is that mine works as intended while she is still trying to fix the faults in hers."

"Still, a technique like that isn't easy to create. I was using Bankai, and even that was hard pressed to destroy it. How did you do it?"

Laxus smirked. "I guess you'll have to wait to find out another time."

Reaching out, Ichigo extended his arm towards Laxus. Laxus gripped it tightly and shook it. "Next time, I'll win for sure."

Ichigo returned the smirk. "Good luck. You'll still lose but I suppose I should at least let you think you have a chance."

Laxus released his grip and started to leave. Before he got far though, he stopped and turned once more towards Ichigo. "You'll protect them all won't you?"

Ichigo stared directly back at Laxus, his gaze unfaltering. "With my life."

"That's all I needed to hear. See ya."

Turning back round, Laxus walked away, no destination in mind for where he was going to go. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what he was going to do know. And it felt good.

He wasn't going to let Ichigo stay ahead though. He couldn't slack off from his training, else he'd never heard the end of it.

For now though, he could relax. For the first time in a very long time, he wasn't angry anymore. And he was going to enjoy that feeling for as long as it lasted. Even if he was a villain to Fairy Tail, he still felt happy. With that final thought, he left Magnolia behind and didn't look back.

Protector Of The Fairies

WE FINISHED THE ARC! That's right, the Arc that was previewed in the first chapter is finally done. It's been a long time in the making, but we made it. We finally made it here, and we're now at 27 chapters. Such a grand total. That means this story has been going for 27 weeks with 1 each week without fail.

But we aren't at an end because we reached this Arc's end. I've said it plenty of times before that we've got some really good stuff ahead of us. I've been working on Oracion Seis recently and have almost finished chapter 32, so that will be five chapters done of that arc, and that is still not anywhere near the end yet. The arcs are getting bigger and better with each one hopefully, and we've got plenty more good stuff with Edolas and Tenrou planned. And don't get me started on the Grand Magic Games and how I'm going to do the last arc too. So many ideas, and still a load of stuff not revealed yet. I've got more to hint at, more to show hints for before any big reveals appear. I feel like the Oracion Seis arc will be one of the most crucial arcs of this story with some of the things underlying in it. You should see what I mean as I get into it.

I really should get writing more again. My exams are all over and I find out results in a few weeks. I've started back up with lectures so that's something but as long as I keep a good buffer zone going I'll be fine on busy weeks. I need to quickly finish Assassin's Creed 4 though else I'll never get any writing done. I've spent the last few days playing it constantly. The curse of exams is it delays this cool stuff.

I'm glad to see the Phantom Step went down well last chapter along with Laxus's new move too. People seemed to like the chapter, and it's one of the most reviewed off the lot. Thanks for that.

Now onto recent updates in Bleach and Fairy Tail. Elfman… Now you are being interesting here. I can manipulate this kind of stuff, and I've got a rough idea of what will be happening. Bleach however… Now that is amazing. That man's power… that is truly interesting. In a way, we can see why he is referred to the father of all Quincy. It is likely that all Quincy Power originates from him, even tiny amounts, hence why he could take the power back during his purge. I'm glad we actually know how that purge was possible now. And Uryuu shows his true colours. Knew he couldn't be an enemy, not with that reaction when he realised he had fallen for the trap. I really want to see more of the story already.

Anyway, till the next time. I've been Takei. Thanks for reading.