Chapter 18: Path to power 2/2

It was one day later, and again she was in the golden palace, Tetsu no Tama's arrogant visage staring down at her, lazily leaned back against a throne with a cup in his hand- which, of course, was golden too. But things were a little different- the floor and the pillars which held up the roof were riddled with little cracks, and an enormous crack ran through the floor, as if the palace had almost cracked in two. It was an ugly picture for this marble house of marvels. Taking care where she stepped, Erza approached the golden throne, and bowed her head.

"Yes, yes, you may raise your head," Tetsu no Tama said, a little irritably, sipping from his cup.

"What… happened here?" Erza asked, looking around. It was pandemonium- luxurious couches and divans split in two or overturned, vases shattered, fine rugs torn and frayed…

"Do you expect you can swing me about so roughly without consequences?" Tetsu no Tama said, leaning back on his throne. "Do you expect that you are the only one who hurts in those battles, hmm? We are one, Erza, and I am the one who bears the brunt of every act of violence you commit."

"I'm… sorry." Erza said, hanging her head. "I never considered that you felt it too…"

"Oh, lighten up!" Tetsu no Tama sneered, although not in a particularly angry manner. "I am your weapon, Erza. This is what I was made for. Does a muscle complain that it must lift something heavy? Does the eye complain that it must see? Does the tongue complain that it must speak? You are much too soft, Erza- I bear these scars with pride, as should you!"

To her surprise, he was actually smiling.

"But… your palace…" Erza murmured confusedly.

"I made it once. I can make it again." He said dismissively. "You should have seen it after you first fought that wretch- it was chaos. Half the pillars had fallen out of place. But this is not your petty world of physical things, Erza- by my will, I rebuilt it. I am rebuilding it even now."

Erza saw a small piece of floor tile, broken off and shattered, pull itself together and seemingly by itself place itself on the space of the floor where it belonged. Things worked differently here, it really did…

"So, now you have seen the awesome power of a bankai." Tetsu no Tama said, putting one hand on each armrest on his throne, leaning forward a little, "and it was a thug's bankai… but it was bankai. His power would pale in comparison to my own, of course."

"I need it." Erza said simply, looking him in the eye. "Tell me, Tetsu no Tama, what must I do to unlock your true power?"

His face hardened, and he crushed the cup in his hand. "Bite your tongue, Erza!" He snarled out the words, glaring at her. "You dare speak of gaining my true power? You may be older than myself, but you are a child with a childish dream, led like a simple ox by its nose ring! Madarame Ikkaku is a thug, but he has gained the respect of his zanpakutou, learned its innermost secrets and desires, pleased it and fulfilled its every condition. You, Erza, are a thousand years too early to even speak of bankai, you wretched mongrel!"

"I must have it." Erza insisted, gritting her teeth. "I won't settle for anything less. If I have to beat it out of you, so be it."

In a flash, Tetsu no Tama had stood up from his throne, walking down its stairs to greet her, a furious expression on his face.

"Violence!" He sneered. "It is always violence with you, simpleton master! A thug Madarame Ikkaku may be, but he is true to himself. Are you?"

"Would you grant me your power if I weren't?" Erza countered, firmly staring him in the eye. He was tall, up close, a full head taller than her. He had never left his throne before, not that she could remember- this was extraordinary.

"Do not tempt me to take them away." He said coldly, grabbing her by the hem of her shirt, pulling her up face to face, almost lifting her off the floor. "You have ambition, Erza Scarlet, and of that I approve. You have power and honesty, and of that too, I approve. You have learned to show respect, and that too I approve of. However!" -He almost shouted out the last word- "I will not tolerate arrogance such as this. Bankai? Without having even learned to materialize me in your filthy little world? Without knowing every fiber of my being, without knowing what I want and how to treat me, without knowing me more intimately than any lover? Without truly knowing yourself? That is a childish dream, Erza, like the toddler who says he will bring down the moon."

"If I cannot believe the impossible, then how can I change the world?" Erza bit back.

"Hmmph!" The spirit sneered, letting go of her shirt, almost shoving her back. "Somebody else's words, put in your mouth for you to regurgitate and digest!"

"Tell me," Erza said stubbornly, "what must I do?"

"You must know it yourself." He said, slowly stepping back up the staircase to his throne.

"What do you mean?" Erza said insistently. "What sort of riddle is this?"

He did not answer, not until he had sat himself down on his throne, taking his sweet time in doing so. Leaning himself back, resting his cheek on one of his hands and giving her a curious look, he said,

"I suppose there are… some things you would need to first accomplish before you even think of achieving bankai."

"What?" Erza said eagerly.

"Do not accept such disrespect, for one." He said dryly. "What sort of owner lets her zanpakutou push her around like this?"

"WHAT?!" Erza cried out, exasperatedly. "First you give me a long and angry lecture, and then you chide me for not stopping you?"

He ignored her, and she could swear she saw a smirk on his face as he continued,

"You must gain full control of your power. You were strong in life, Erza, and your power has only grown since… yet, you only have control of half of it. Some shoddy fighters, like those eleventh division Neanderthals, would think that enough, but I demand more. Learn to control your power fully, physically and spiritually. If you could, you would be strong enough that only a captain's bankai could stop you in a direct fight."

Erza nodded. "I understand."

"Do not interrupt!" Tetsu no Tama snapped. "Secondly, you must learn to see reality for what it is. Stop expecting it to suit your naïve, childish expectations of justice, kindness and mercy."

"I can't…" Erza murmured.

"What did I just say?" The spirit sneered. "Honestly, is she even listening…? Well, thirdly: you must open your eyes, Erza. These are the three things you must do before you can speak to me of bankai."

"What?" Erza said. "What do you mean, 'open my eyes'? And… see reality for what it is? Stop believing in right and wrong? How could you ever ask me of that?"

"This audience is over, child," Tetsu no Tama said reservedly. "Do not come here again until called upon."

"Wait! Wait-" Erza began, but the palace dissolved around her, and she was back in the real world. Making a fist, she slammed the ground in front of her in frustration. That damned, vain spirit!

Ikkaku was lazing about in eleventh division's main building gardens, just relaxing in the sun and nursing a few bruises. Not a lot was going on; no big hollow hunts were coming up any time soon, Erza was off doing who knows what… when there wasn't fighting to do in one way or another, there simply wasn't much to do. His captain wasn't far off, arguing with Yachiru- he never won those arguments; that little brat always did whatever she wanted. Lying himself back under a tree, he drifted off in a half-sleep. It would probably have turned into a proper nap, if not for his captain walking by. Ikkaku opened an eye, seeing him take a seat outside the door, looking just as bored as Ikkaku. He always got a bit irritable when he didn't have good fighting to do, and an irritable Kenpachi was never a good thing.

"Yo, Ikkaku," he grunted, leaning himself against the wall. "What you up to?"

"Nothin', boss." Ikkaku said. "Nothin' ter do, is there? They say there's gonna be a purge out inna Rukon come Thursday, but that's three day's from now."

"Three days." Kenpachi grunted, like the words tasted of gall. "Three days, an' we get to butcher weaklings. Maybe a tougher one or two, if we're lucky. Fuckin' piss weak, innit? All the strong 'uns here refuse to give me a fight, too."

"I feel ya, boss," Ikkaku said, sitting himself up. "Battle's where we belong. But there's nuthin' to it. No people to fight… well, we could rebel an' take on the whole Gotei, that'd be fun."

Kenpachi looked at him, as if considering his joke as a serious suggestion, weighing violent treason against boredom.

"Nah." He said at last. "Lotsa headache, that." He leaned back, sitting quiet for a bit.

"You look kinda beat up, though. Who did you over?"

Ikkaku rubbed his forehead, which, like many other parts of his body, was sore since yesterday.

"Just training. A spar what got pretty intense, is all."

"You lose?" Kenpachi said, with just a mild interest.

"Barely won. Took me an hour. Give it a year, and I don't think I'll be able to beat her. Crazy strong, that one."

"Her?"

"Oh. Yeah, it's that Scarlet girl. Vice-captain of fifth. You know her, right?"

"The big-tittied redhead you used to knock over all the time?" Kenpachi said, sounding confused. "She looked weak as shit."

"You saw her years back, boss." Ikkaku said, feeling like he just made a mistake. "Powerful energy, lotsa raw talent. Shifts around between a whole buncha weapons- spear, greatsword, double swords, great axe, an' she uses them all like a fuckin' expert. It's a hell of a hassle to deal with, somebody who can just switch styles in a second. Mad strong, too… she's grown a lot."

"An' you say she's surpassin' ya?" Kenpachi said, furrowing his brows with interest."

"…aye," Ikkaku said, nodding slowly. "I only keep up cos' I sparred with her so long, I know exactly how she moves. She's stronger'n I am for sure, growing better every day. Give it a few years, and I don't know many people outside the rank of captain what will be able to take her on."

Kenpachi grinned, which was always a sight that could be taken right out of a nightmare.

"Ya don't say." He said, and stood up, slinging his long, sleek sword over his shoulder.

"Uh, boss? She's strong, but she ain't that strong." Ikkaku said hastily.

"Shaddap." Kenpachi said dismissively. "I'm bored as all fuckin' shit. Haven't had a good damn fight for like, five sodding years now. Don't care if you like her, don't care if you're nailin' her or some shit- I think I'll go have a look myself at this mad powerful woman."

With that, he walked out of the garden intently, Yachiru cheerily hopping after him, getting on his back. Ikkaku put the palm of his hand to his face. Shit… he'd avoided killing Erza the other day, but he might have done it now anyhow.

Celebration had not been so early to shake, Erza had found out. It was a day off, and after her incident with the zanpakutou, Rangiku had ambushed her, along with Isane, Momo and Lisanna, and taken her out- quite against her wishes- to a spa in the first district in the Rukon. It turned out that Rangiku had been right; being a high ranking officer did let you get into nice places quite easily. Though Erza was not too keen on it initially- she'd rather have trained more- she had let herself be convinced. As it turned out, massages, sauna and a good lunch were actually very relaxing, especially for her sore muscles from the other day. So it was that, six hours later when they headed home, she was in a pretty good mood.

Good things do not last, though.

Just as they were walking home, the Gotei's walls just within sight, their way was blocked by the tall, lean and muscular frame of Zaraki Kenpachi. He looked at her like a shark sizing up its lunch, sword lazily resting over his shoulder.

"Zaraki-taichou?" Rangiku muttered worriedly. "What- what is he doing here?"

Cautiously, the five of them walked toward him, hoping to just pass him by- but no such luck.

"Erza Scarlet." The Kenpachi rumbled, pointing at Rangiku. "That you? Ikkaku said you had big tits an' red hair."

"What?!" Rangiku said. "No, no, no, no-"

"I am she." Erza said, stepping forward.

"Oh yeah. Your hair kind of is a bit redder." Kenpachi said, nodding. "Anyway, I heard yer strong. Proper strong. That true, girl?"

"I don't know about that," Erza said, her hand slipping toward her sword, "who told you that?"

"I know Ikkaku got his ass beat up pretty bad, an' then he tells me you're stronger'n him. I reasoned you had to be proper strong, an' there's only one way of measuring that kinda thing."

"Ken-chan's gonna kill you!" The pink-haired child in his shoulder cheered. "Please try and give him a fun fight, though!"

"Beat it, Yachiru. I'm gonna bust loose now, so get outta the way," he said, his voice rough.

"O-kay, Ken-chan!" Yachiru chirped, hopping off his back and to the sidelines.

"Please, Zaraki-taichou, you can't just attack your fellow officers!" Rangiku protested.

Kenpachi shot her a glare. "Get out the way, trash, or I'll cut you down first."

"Why?" Erza asked. "I don't want to fight you."

"Why?" Kenpachi said, as if she had just asked a really dumb question. "I love fighting. You're strong. I don't need no reason other than that."

"And if I refuse?" Erza said defiantly.

"Then you get cut down in the first strike," Kenpachi said dismissively.

"Erza, this is madness!" Rangiku hissed. "You can't you can't fight him! He's Zaraki Kenpachi. He's a monster!"

"Sure am." Kenpachi said, the grin on his face as wide as ever.

"Look," Rangiku hissed between her teeth, "we'll distract him. He gets lost easily. Then… just hide, or whatever. Get away. Get to your captain."

"She's right, Erza," Momo said, her voice trembling with nervousness, "you can't fight him. We'll- we'll figure something out-"

"No." Erza said firmly.

"WHAT?!" Rangiku shrieked. "You can't be serious!"

"Attagirl." Kenpachi said, nodding approvingly.

"Erza, you can't!" Momo insisted, frantically tugging at Erza's shihakusho, as if to pull her away from there. "He'll- he'll- you could die, Erza!"

"So could you if you got in his way." Erza said grimly. "I won't have that. If he cut one of you down instead of me, when I just… ran like a coward? Do you think I could live with that?" She made a fist, and a look of determination crossed her face. "No. That's not happening."

"It's just like the old days, isn't it?" Lisanna said, taking a deep breath. "You never changed, not that much."

The way she said it was a knighthood, as fine a compliment as she could get.

"Erza," Isane pleaded, somehow being the calmest of them all, "I've seen people come into our division with horrible injuries, with limbs cut off, with open bellies and their entrails spilling out. I've seen cracked skulls, I've seen more broken legs and arms than I can count, and I've seen people with injuries they'll never recover from. You see some really terrible things if you work in medical."

"And it's the worst when Kenpachi's done it?" Erza said, looking her in the eye.

"No." Isane said quietly. "I can't remember we ever had to patch up anybody from fighting with him."

"So, what?"

"Because the people he fights, when that happens… they just die." Isane said matter-of-factly. "You're incredibly strong, Erza, but this is out of your league."

"I know." Erza said simply, and looked at Lisanna. "Do you want to add something?"

"Go for it." Lisanna said. "It's hopeless- but we are Fairy Tail, and hopeless isn't nearly enough to stop us, is it?"

"Thanks." Erza said, smiling. She turned to Kenpachi, and pulled her sword out from its sheath.

"Finally!" Kenpachi grumbled. "Your pals are real fuckin' chatty, ain't they?"

"With me, Tetsu no Tama," Erza mumbled, and felt the spirit give its approval, although a bit hesitantly. Her weapon not yet changing into its shikai form, she stepped up, assuming a stance.

"Get back, you guys. Now." Erza said firmly. Her eyes were on Kenpachi, completely focused, but she could sense them moving back. She could hear Momo cry out, a heart-rending, shrill cry of fear- but she was going, whether by her own will or carried by somebody else. She focused her thoughts on the battle to come. Kenpachi was holding up his sword, and any second now, any second, it would begin…

What could she do, but fight? She could run, but she didn't like running. It was true that she didn't want her friends to get caught- but it was only part of why she had done it. She was stubborn, she knew- too stubborn to run away from something like this. And… deep down, she wanted to fight him. She wanted to beat him. She would not have sought him out for revenge; Kiganjo had not meant that much to her- but here and now, without a choice in the matter, it was fine. So… what was taking the bastard so long?

Kenpachi had cocked his head, and looked at her questioningly.

"Tell you what," he said, opening up his coat to show off his muscular, scarred chest, "you look kinda weak. I'll give you a free hit, to make it more even."

Erza blinked. What kind of trickery was this? Was he mad? Well- that he was, actually. Well, she wasn't one to waste an opportunity, not now… quickly, she rushed forward, closing the distance while being wary of sudden movements. She held her sword high, and cut down hard.

It was like hitting her sword against a brick wall. It skid and slid off, just barely drawing blood. Kenpachi gave her an unimpressed look, then looked to his chest, where a shallow cut was slowly trickling down blood.

"C'mon, that it?" Kenpachi grumbled. "That was pathetic- I'm almost tempted ta let ya go. Then again, I ain't had a decent fight in forever, an' I did come all the way out here. So…" He raised his sword, and took a step forward. Quickly, Erza jumped back, her sword shifting into the two longswords she was so used to fighting with. Deciding to take the initiative, she dashed forward, cutting at him, trying to stab whatever could be stabbed…

Moving with the ease and skill of a veteran, Kenpachi caught her swords, somehow moving his enormous blade fast enough to match the speed of her own two swords at once. He struck with a furious power, each strike reminding her of the power in Ikkaku's bankai- raw, vicious, and fast. She caught his blade with one of her swords, nearly getting knocked over by the raw force behind it, and raked her other sword across his mid-section. She drew blood, but he didn't even seem to notice- like a berserker, he lunged forward, batting his blade at her with an absurd power.

Holding a hand over her mouth, Isane watched the fight commence, a good hundred feet away. Surprisingly, Erza was keeping up- she had not been cut down immediately, as she had feared. Momo was beside herself, her head buried in Rangiku's shihakusho, the older shinigami trying her best to comfort her.

"Lisanna," Isane said, looking to the third seat, who was observing the fight with an eerie calm, "I need you to go fetch Unohana-taichou. Now."

"I need to see this." Lisanna said firmly. "She is fighting an impossible enemy."

"She is going to get killed, Lisanna!" Isane snapped.

"I thought that a lot of times, about my fellow guild mages," Lisanna said, "when I was little and first joined the guild. You wouldn't understand, but… doing the impossible, defying the odds… we've done that so many times that I can have hope even now. Erza is strong. Believe in her."

"I do believe in her!" Isane shouted, surprised at the anger in her voice, "But I can't sit by here and do nothing. As vice-captain, I order you- go get Unohana-taichou!"

"Can't you do it yourself?" Lisanna murmured irritably. Rank had been pulled, and even now she was loath to disobey.

"I will be needed here." Isane said firmly. "If she survives, somebody has to try and stop the bleeding. Who will do that better- me, or you?"

"…all right," Lisanna said reluctantly.

"GO!" Isane shouted. Obeying her command, Lisanna stood up, and flashed away into a shunpo.

Erza was breathing heavily already. She had cut him many times, but never more than shallowly. Although it had been a hair's breadth, she had avoided taking a real hit so far. It was strange- a monster he was, with all the strength you might have expected- yet, she was somehow keeping up. She was somehow reading his movements, somehow countering his attacks, somehow even fighting back. A captain, against her, somehow not killing her. She had a creeping suspicion, though, that he had much, much more to give.

"Come on, come on!" He roared, cutting at her again and again, Erza just barely parrying his wide slashes, "switch weapons already! You think those sissy swords will help you win?"

He was enjoying himself, Erza realized- it was fun to him.

"All right," Erza said, dodging under a wide swing, and kicking high up, into his face, then jumping back a few steps, "all right, I'll show you."

"Attagirl," Kenpachi said, waiting just a second.

"Render!" Erza snarled, and her sword reshaped itself into the long, straight, ugly black greatsword, nearly as long as she was tall.

Kenpachi gave a whistle. "Not bad. Question is… can ya use it?"

Erza let out a war-cry, and charged him, cutting at him with all force. Her swings were slower, the blade being heavier, yet she was almost pushing him back- swing by heavy swing, she was matching his force, his raw power.

However, it was not to be. Catching her blade with just one hand, he guided it down into the ground, hitting hard- and with what seemed like the flick of his wrist, he cut down and up, from her hip to her shoulder. Erza cried out; the pain was familiar yet every time as much of a surprise. She staggered back, barely holding on to her sword. She was lucky enough that she hadn't been cut at her main sword arm, yet she could barely stand on her feet. She sunk to one knee, glaring at him defiantly.

"See, that's the problem with having a lotta weapons," Kenpachi said, grin as ever-present on his face, "you learn a lotta styles and that's useful, but you don't become a proper expert with even one of 'em. Your sword's too heavy for ya, and you use it like a rookie." He raised his sword, and she knew she had only a couple of seconds.

"That arrogant ignoramus!" She heard the prideful voice of her zanpakutou, and the world seemed to slow down a little. "There he stands, insulting me, when he does not so much as have a connection to his own sword! That brute treats it like a tool- he knows no respect, dignity or humility. He must be taught a lesson, Erza!"

"I tried!" Erza said, feeling weak, "I tried! But what can I do? He is just so… strong!"

"This is a special occasion," Tetsu no Tama said thoughtfully, "And… yes, just this once. You wanted to know bankai, Erza? I shall give you the smallest taste of my true power. Let this spur you toward finding it by your own power!"

Erza felt a surge of energy run through her body, her pain lessening. Time sped up again, Kenpachi's sword came down, and her sword was not there to greet it; all she could do was hold up her arm…

Then there was a distinct 'clang', and his blade stopped against her arm and shoulder. She still felt the blow, but its impact was stopped. Ignoring the pain, she stood up, sword in hand. She was covered in armour- a light black shade of plate mail, with deep black crosses on its chest and legs. All but her head was covered in it, thickly protected. She felt different- powerful, in control.

"Now what's that?" Kenpachi said, still pushing his sword against the armour, as if testing its strength. "What you pull out there, woman?"

Giving him a contemptuous glare, she held her arm up against his blade, and with one swift motion cut him across the chest with a power that she had thought impossible just a minute ago. Blood sprayed across the ground, as her steel hit home, hard and true, rending its way through her enemy's flesh and bone. Kenpachi staggered back, the cut wide across his chest. He stood there, looking at it dumbfounded, and for a moment Erza almost let herself believe she had won.

"Well, son of a bitch…" Kenpachi said. Then, he looked her in the eye, and grinned wide again. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about, Scarlet!"

Not giving him pause, Erza charged forward, moving her sword with speed, cutting, slashing, slamming, keeping the man on his guard. She felt powerful, strong, like she had become raw energy- yet at the same time her body felt chilled, like a body-wide tooth-ache, like nails across a chalkboard, like she was too little butter being spread over too little bread.

To her surprised, she was actually pushing him back, the power behind her strikes seeming to almost overwhelm him- cutting madly, stabbing, thrusting, striking. Finally, she slapped his sword aside with one powerful swing, and cut down with all her might. Again, Render hit home, and again Kenpachi's blood spilled plentifully down to the dirt road they stood on. Erza stopped for a second, panting heavily- the raw power was still there, but it was expiring, fading, and she felt like her entire being was being spent with it. Kenpachi seemed not to notice though, as he threw his head back, laughing madly.

"Yes! Yes!" He roared, shouting his approval to the heavens, "That's the spirit! Cut me! Hurt me! Put your back into it, girl!" He pointed his sword at her again, and with his laugh finally having died down, he still grinned, and said,

"You are a lotta fun. Who'da thought it? So I'm going to go all out."

He raised his hand toward his eye, and Erza's heart sank in her chest. All out? This was not all out already? Damn… of course it wasn't, but… damn!

And then, Kenpachi took his eye patch off. Under it, he had a perfectly functional eye. Not that Erza paid it any attention- the massive explosion of reiatsu that followed, nearly knocking her off her feet, took up all her focus. She could swear she saw a black skull behind him, laughing at her menacingly, as his reiatsu- yellow and bright, blazing like wildfire- washed over her like wild tidal waves. It was like looking up at a mountain, like being stared down by a titan, like facing a tiger with your bare hands- it was utterly overwhelming. Fear rose in her heart, and she braced herself.

"What… the hell?" She murmured, holding her sword up.

"This?" Kenpachi said, gesturing at the eye patch. "I'm too damn strong, y'see, so I had the science boys make me this thing. Suppresses my reiatsu something fierce, and makes me rely on just the one eye. More fun that way, eh?"

"That's… insane." Erza said, breathing heavily. The energy was leaving her; forcing it to stay felt like staying under water when you knew you had to breathe.

"Well, here I go," Kenpachi said, raising his sword, "now don't die too fast, okay?"

He brought his sword down, and the power was simply overwhelming. Desperately, against all odds, she tried to parry the wide slash- but like a juggernaut, it powered down on her, with irresistible force. It clove straight through Render like it were a twig, and cut right through her arm, lodging itself in her chest. Erza stared in shock. She had dropped her sword- and next to it, on the ground, lay her arm, bleeding profusely. The sword itself was in her chest, cutting right through her breast. Wide eyed, she stared in shock at the grinning, daemonic face- and then he jerked his sword out, and Erza collapsed, and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Isane ran, the moment she saw Kenpachi turn his back and leave. Oh god- oh god! Erza, was she… hurrying up to her, she saw the state her friend was in. With the seasoned experience of a trained combat medic, she immediately went to work- it was ugly, and seeing Erza cut up like this hurt to watch- but with the right kido, she could stop the bleeding, she could maybe even save her arm…

Unohana Retsu felt his presence well before she could see him. She had hurried out here- Isane would never send for her like this if it wasn't serious. She was a good girl, very responsible- and if it involved Kenpachi, then it was no wonder. Before long, she could see him walking down the road, two big gashes on his chest and at least half a dozen smaller ones, and a grin on his face like everything was just right with the world. Blood dripped from his sword- Erza Scarlet's, no doubt.

"Did you have fun?" She asked, as she passed him.

"It was all right," Kenpachi said, shrugging. "She was a lot stronger than I thought, that woman. If she lives, she'll make a fun challenge one day. To be honest… this was the most fun I had since I joined. Not that it's sayin' all that much."

"I see," Unohana said politely. "Of course, you will stop by my division for treatment before you head back to eleventh. Those are some nasty gashes."

"What? I ain't-" Kenpachi started, but Unohana interrupted him.

"And you will take special care not to intimidate the doctors caring for you. They are just doing their jobs. Is that understood?"

"…yeah, all right." The man grumbled. He murmured something inaudible, and probably rude- but she knew he would be true to his word. He always was, when she asked him to.

There was a light, and slowly, Erza opened her eyes. She blinked, adjusting to the light. The first sensation she felt was a headache, a bit of nausea- and remarkably, not much else. She remembered being cut, bleeding… what had happened?

She tried looking around, although everything seemed blurry. Slowly, her sight adjusted, and she saw the familiar, clinical whiteness of a hospital room. There was a stand next to her, holding some bags with liquids in them, with little tubes in them that reached into her arm- well, drugs; that would explain why she didn't hurt. She looked up into the ceiling, just processing what had happened.

Wait a second. She had… lost an arm. Was she… the thought struck her with a bit of horror: cripple. Slowly turning her head, fearing deeply what she might see, she looked to her left, where she had been cut. She could see no stump, and daring to light her head- despite a wave of nausea coming with it- she forced herself to look closer. An arm. A forearm. A hand, fingers, nails… oh, thank goodness. Willing herself to move, she looked at the hand- and the fingers wiggled just a little. Letting out a long, loud breath of relief, she fell back on her pillow.

"I would not move around too much if I were you."

It was the soft, gentle voice of the fourth division's captain, she remembered it.

"You are still healing, and we cannot guarantee it will recover fully. We had to more or less completely reconstruct half your lung, and the nerve endings in that arm… now that was some precision work. We expect you will make a recover, though."

"How long?" Erza managed, keeping her eyes closed.

"You have been unconscious for twelve days now," Unohana said gently, "you are lucky Isane was there. She more or less saved your life. Had she not been there, had she not called for me…"

"…Kenpachi." Erza muttered. "He-"

"Yes, he did," Unohana said, sighing. "He is the same as always- reckless, strong, a bit insane…"

"He… almost killed me." Erza murmured. "Son of a bitch…"

"Yes, I imagine you wouldn't be very happy with that." Unohana said quietly. "I have had a word with him… he won't come after you until the time is right. And you, Erza… you must not fight him again, not until you are much stronger. You very nearly died."

"I don't want to fight him." Erza said weakly. "I was completely overwhelmed… after he forced me to fight. Believe me, I won't be seeking revenge."

"Good." Unohana said. "Rest now. You will need it, Erza."

Not needing much encouragement, Erza laid back. Sleep would come soon… but as she lay there, feeling the land of dreams approach, she couldn't help but wonder… could she face him again? If she got stronger, if she gained her bankai… could she challenge him again?

Maybe.

It would be worth a try.

And with that, we reach the end of the chapter. Erza vs Kenpachi was a fight I always wanted to see when I started this thing, and I figured now was a good time to do it. I know some people might be upset that she lost, but this is KENPACHI. The fact that Erza managed to get him to take his eye patch off is a feat impressive in of itself. Make no mistake, as of now Erza IS as strong as a captain...Not on Byakuya's level or anything, but she could now probably kick Mayuris ass.

Now, about the armor she used in this fight, her "Bankai"...Yeah, that's not even close to what its full power will be, or even look like. This was, at best, an incomplete bankai. Much like How Renji's was, and how Tohsiros is still Maturing, Erza's has a long way to go before achiving her true bankai..

That's not saying she can now use this whenever she wants ethier. This was a one time deal. Tetsu no tama is a VERY prideful zanpakto, and he could not, and would not, have his wielder be beaten by someone who dosnt understand the value of the bond between a soul reaper and his/her zanpakto. To lose without putting g up a fight would have been an INSULT to him, one he couldn't live with. She will never use this "incomplete" Bankai ever again.

Consider it a tease. You got to see how much of a boost it is, but the design itself is not final. Furthermore, she hasn't used any of its special ability's. I already know what they are, but Im not telling any of you what they are.

Hope you all enjoy the scene with Haribel. You can all thank GreatKingrat88 for coming up with that, it was entirely his idea.

Now, why did Ikkaku show Erza his bankai? Multiple reasons. One, he knows she would have figured it out sooner or later. Wit how much they spar it was bound to happen. 2, is that he realizes that she has actually surpassed him. He only knocked her down in that fight because he's so used to her fighting style. Soon, that wont be enough. He's gonna have to use it to give her a decent challenge when she inevitably gets stronger. 3rd and finally, is that he trusts her and views her as a good friend. They may be quite different, but there is no doubt that they do get along. He can trust her with this secret. Besides, by seeing a bankai and experiencing its power, he hopes that can give her that last push she needs to achive it. Which is has. She is now on the road to achieving it. How long till she gets it?...Not telling.

Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know I did. If you want to show your support and tell me what you think, please leave a review. Likewise, if you felt something was wrong or off, also leave a review. Honesty is appreciated

Now, as for the recent fairy tail chapter...Yeah, did NOT see that coming. Glad I got to see Sorano again, always nice to see her, but that ending...Jezz, I thought this empire was tough enough as it is, but Zeref, THE ZEREF, is the one in charge of this powerhouse of a continent...Yeah. Scary.

Bleach was good, but sad. Im going to Miss Bazz B. He was a cool quincy and my 2nd favorite of the stern ritters...and yes, we WILL be doing that arc. I personally, cant wait to get to it. I have SO many plans for that.

Anyways, hope you all have a good day. Till next time!