Chapter 16: What's Done Is Done

A bit of a break chapter this time. Enjoy the interlude.

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

Protector Of The Fairies

What's Done Is Done

Gray shuffled along the path awkwardly. He hadn't asked to do this but he couldn't leave Natsu alone right now. His… rival? Friend? Whatever Natsu was to him, he couldn't afford to let the boy stay away from the guild like this. No one had seen any sign of him in days now.

Those words Laxus said to Natsu must have hit him harder than they though. Though considering how the Dragon Slayer had looked, he must have barely understood what he had been doing all this time. Or maybe he had and hadn't been able to process it normally. The boy was still a strange one despite being in Fairy Tail all these years.

Would Natsu appreciate him checking in on him? They fought a lot and while they could be friends, they barely got through a day without fighting at least once. Lisanna would have been a better person to talk to him however she had been busy taking care of Mira.

He felt sorry for Mira. No one could really deny she could be an S Class Mage. The Master even said he didn't have to promote anyone if he chose not to. However with Ichigo being forced not to pass, he could see what Mira was thinking. Would she have really become an S Class Mage if Ichigo had passed too?

Other people could help her though. In a way, it was also good Lisanna wasn't the one helping Natsu. She was hopelessly in love with that pink haired idiot, and that meant while she could still be somewhat impartial, she was still far more likely to take his side.

Natsu didn't need someone taking his side. He needed someone who wasn't afraid to say what he wanted and to say the truth as they saw it and could determine their own conclusions.

Still, why did it have to be him?

He had already passed Natsu's home a while back. No luck there though he hoped the boy wasn't too far away. Happy had said that Natsu liked to train near their house so if he was lucky, Natsu would be somewhere nearby.

A flash of light let him know he was on the right track. It only appeared for a moment in a burst but he had fought Natsu enough to recognise the signs of the boy's Magic. Normal Fire Magic was nothing like Natsu's.

He glanced around the area as he entered where he had seen a glimpse of the fire. A lot of the trees nearby looked burned, though it wasn't by much. Had Natsu just arrived at this place or something?

Natsu looked towards him as he appeared, not bothering to wave a hand in greetings. The boy looked like he had barely slept or eaten, and it was hard to even sense Natsu's Magic at the moment. It was like it had been depleted so low that it couldn't even be sensed at all.

"What are you doing out here Natsu?"

The pink haired boy glared at him. "Training."

"You're going to make yourself more dangerous to people?"

Damn it. He regretted saying the words the moment they left his mouth. He really needed to be more considerate of people's feelings instead of being outright blunt. The problem was that he had never needed to hold back and watch what he said to Natsu so it just came out naturally.

It definitely turned out to be the worst thing to say when he found himself firmly planted against the ground, an angry Natsu pinning him.

"You want to say that again?"

"You heard me flame breath. What could is making those flames of yours stronger if they just harm more people."

Okay, shut up now. He could see Natsu getting angrier and angrier, one fist brought back and lit on fire. He wouldn't resist if Natsu attacked him. It was his mouth getting him in trouble after all.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the punch to connect. After a moment of feeling nothing, the weight against him vanished. When he opened his eyes, he saw Natsu like he had never seen him before. Scared.

"I didn't mean to," Natsu finally said. "I just… I mean I… I don't know. I can't explain it well."

"Try."

Natsu swallowed. "Igneel, he always praised me when I destroyed stuff. I broke a tree, he said good job. I broke a rock, he got me a treat to celebrate. I cause a suitable amount of damage with my Magic, he'd let me have my favourite for tea that night. And I…"

Gray could see where this was going now. He could understand why Natsu had been so detached and found destruction funny before.

"It's how you were raised wasn't it." Natsu looked at him curiously. "Your father Igneel, you always said he was a Dragon didn't you."

"Of course he was," snarled Natsu. "Are you saying I'm lying?"

"No, but it finally all makes sense. He may have taught you writing and Dragon Slayer Magic but what else did he teach you?"

Natsu scratched his head. "How to fight, how to trust my instincts-"

"Those are all battle related. Tell me, did he teach you how to interact with humans?"

Natsu shook his head.

"What about much damage people could withstand?"

Again Natsu shook his head.

"I think I understand now. Igneel was your father, but he didn't raise you as a human. From the start, it would have been strange if he had done so. To him, you weren't a human child. He treated you as if he was training his own son."

Natsu growled at him. "And what's wrong with that eh? I am his son, even if not by blood. He raised me."

"That's why you can't understand as well as everyone else can about some situations. You weren't raised in the same way. Igneel taught you as he would if you were a Dragon, and Dragons can naturally cause destruction as easily as breathing."

Gray noticed he was getting through to Natsu. "All this destruction you cause, is it maybe because you can't understand why it isn't a normal thing? To a dragon, a broken building or two is barely anything compared to what they could destroy. If your Magic isn't destructive or powerful enough, it means that you are weak and can be killed by another Dragon if they so wished. Strength brings respect and only the strongest can rise."

Natsu collapsed to the ground, any adrenaline the boy had finally vanishing after hearing those words. "You…"

"I'm not sure I can relate or properly understand, but I can see why you act how you do now. Fighting, destruction, it's all what you were told was right from a young age. Perhaps that's why Dragon Slayers are the only ones who can truly combat Dragons effectively. Because they have the same mindset in battle as the ones they seek to kill."

Natsu looked at Gray. "Did I really cause so many problems for people?"

"Yes." There was no point in sugar-coating it. He came here because he could be impartial, and anyone else might have tried to make Natsu feel better without this little truth.

"I always wondered you know. When people got so angry that their stuff was destroyed, I couldn't properly understand it. I knew it was their stuff and it was important but I couldn't bring myself to care. I kept thinking of what Igneel would say when I did something, and he had always praised me when I did something right. Destruction was one of those."

"And because of that you stuck to the one of the only thinks you knew how to make people proud, only to find out it didn't always make people happy. But you couldn't understand still so you kept falling back on that same believe, hoping people would be happy of what you did, even if you knew it was wrong."

Natsu looked at Gray. "How can I face the guild after what I've done? No, how can I even face Ichigo. He-"

"Do you think he might have understood?" asked Gray suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"He never stopped you fighting him, just limiting how often you could do it. He was certainly strong enough to put you down for the count for a while with one hit but he never did. He just let you go ahead and try."

Gray suddenly gained another burst of inspiration. "In fact, he would normally give you some kind of advice recently after you challenged him. It was like he understood why you caused so many problems and was trying to talk to you in a way you responded to best."

"Like when he asked if I could spread out my flames more," Natsu replied in excitement. "It gave me the idea of creating a wider arc variation of some of my attacks so I could improvise more. He said it would make it harder for someone to fight if I closed off possible exits with flames."

"So then, what are you going to do now?"

Natsu glanced towards the trees Gray had come from. "I'll keep practicing the last thing he asked me about."

"And what is that?"

Natsu shuffled nervously. "I can show you if you want. I've been trying around here but trees can't tell me how they feel after getting hit so…"

"I'm going to regret this," muttered Gray as he brought up his arms to defend himself. "Okay, let me have it."

Natsu brought a fist back as it lit on fire. He took a few steps toward Gray before swinging his fist at the Ice Mage, connecting against the guard Gray had put up. Gray found himself being forced backwards slightly from the force of the strike but it wasn't anything new. But something was off though. Why did the flames feel so weird?

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Natsu scowled. "Did I burn you?"

Gray frowned before looking at his arms. He could see some slight burns along his skin but how had that happened? He had barely felt the heat from the fire.

"What are you planning?"

"It's not complete yet, but I'm sure I can find it. Even if I fight more carefully, I can't stop the destructive power my flames have. So I'll how to control them. I'll learn how to strengthen and weaken the force behind them, and I'll learn how to create flames that can't burn."

Gray hid how impressed he was at that idea. Natsu's flames were certainly dangerous. If he really managed to make flames that didn't burn his enemy, he could fight without holding back against those weaker than him. After all, without the burning element of the flames, all they would have would be the concussive force from his attacks and the amplification of his limbs.

So that was why the trees weren't as burned as they should have been. Because they weren't meant to be burned. And if a wide spread attack could take down his enemies with concussive force alone, how strong would it become when used normally?

He smiled slight. Flame breath was already returning back to normal. His job was done so he might as well head home. And train too. There was no way he was falling behind his rival.

Protector Of The Fairies

Cana stopped short of her destination, letting the remaining effects of alcohol leave her system.

Since Ichigo had left, the guild had been quiet. Natsu went away somewhere, Mira hadn't been seen much, and even the people in the guild hall had barely spoken.

As for her, she had been drowning herself in alcohol, drinking far more than was healthy even for her. She was sure she was going to pay for it later as she could already sense the headache kicking in and could feel her body being more sluggish than normal.

Did she really care though? She failed the trials again, the guild was almost in ruin from Ichigo's disappearance, and she had once again failed to even get the courage to face her father.

Laxus's words had yet to leave her either. If she had worked together with Mystogan, she could have passed. She was sure they could have coordinated their attacks better that way, even if they weren't as comfortable as others with working together.

But she didn't. She believed she could fight on her own despite how she knew her Magic could never match up against someone of Laxus's level. It was a major weakness of her Card Magic. It could be powerful in combination but that was the key. It was a support type yet she kept trying to reach for the frontlines.

Was it because of her father? He was the Ace of Fairy Tail, a monster among monsters who fought there at the head of the group. She wanted him to acknowledge her but she couldn't be weak when he found out. She was his daughter after all. She had to be stronger to finally face him and tell him the truth.

Was it wrong to want to be like him? The Master had told her multiple times that she had the Magical Power to branch into another area of Magic, and Card Magic didn't have very far to go in it. It wasn't like what Levy could do with her Solid Script since there was a limit to the amount of Spells it could produce. It was a Magic that could not evolve very far which was why few had ever used it.

She had always liked fortune telling and she had enjoyed the ability to do so with Card Magic. Yet no matter how many times she had tried, she could never see her own future. She was blind to what she needed to do and was lost.

Was this why she had found herself following Levy around right now? Maybe because she admired the blue haired girl. She had taken Solid Script, a more support type of Magic, and was turning it into one that could compete with the offensive types.

Could she do the same? Could she take up another branch of Magic, one based on offensive power to grow stronger? She would be the first to admit she wasn't good in teams. She couldn't even remember the last time she was in one before Mystogan. Ichigo's team included Laxus, someone who you would never believe could work together with others. Maybe she could learn that too.

She wanted to be better than she was. If she was that little bit stronger, if she could work together that little bit better, then she could reach a higher place than before. Maybe she could get to the point where she could look at her father and tell him the truth.

What a day that would be. But she couldn't focus on a 'what if' situation right now. She forced her feet to move her forward, getting closer and closer to the wooden house that Levy had entered. When she reached the door, she raised her hand hesitantly, prepared to knock.

What was up with her? All she had to do was place her hand against the door. It wasn't hard. She could do it easily. Yet why was she so scared?

Was it rejection? Maybe. Part of her had pinned all her hopes on this, and she wasn't sure how to react it failed. She had to gather the courage. She had to.

"You know you need to actually hit the door if you want someone to answer."

Cana froze. That voice… but when?

Levy jumped out of the tree she had been resting on, walking over to the girl. "When you stopped at the outskirts and I entered, I snuck out the back and doubled back on you. I admit, I was curious to what you wanted Cana. You've been following me since I left the guild, and it isn't a secret that I could have lost you ages ago either."

Levy gave Cana a soft smile. "But you looked so lost that I couldn't help but let you follow me. Do you want to talk about it?"

Cana stared at Levy in shock. Levy had noticed her following her the entire time? She pretended not to notice her then? Why did she willing allow her to find this place just so they could talk? They could have talked in Magnolia or in the guild in some corner if she had been willing to.

"This place is nice and quiet isn't it? Not like that silence in the guild, but a peaceful one. There is nothing to worry about when you are here. All worries can be solved easily."

"Teach me."

Levy raised an eyebrow at her. Cana silently cursed. She hadn't meant to blurt those words out. Was she really this desperate? Her voice had certainly made her sound like it.

"Why?"

Cana could feel her hopes being crushed by that one word.

"Why?"

Why did Levy keep repeating that word? Just say no already. Don't drag it out.

Levy tilted her head before realising what was going on. "I'm not saying no here. I just want to know why. Why do you want me to teach you? There must be others if you simply wanted to become stronger."

"But they didn't start like you," Cana blurted out. "You changed what everyone expected your Magic was capable of to something new and great. You became stronger. I… I want to do that too. I want it more than anything."

Levy frowned. "I'm not just strong because I can cast strong Spells you know. Team Fairy has more than just power in it. We work together. It's the only way you can coordinate a team that had people with as much Magic as Ichigo and Laxus."

"Teach me that too. Please. I… I don't know how to work together. But still, I want to be stronger. I want to be able to fight both on my own and with others. I don't want to keep failing again and again."

"Why?"

Cana looked up at Levy desperately. Levy just repeated herself.

"Why? Why do you want to be strong? Do you just want to be an S Class Mage?"

Cana hesitated for a moment. Did she dare say her true reason? She had told no one. Not even the Master knew. But if this was her only shot then…

"I want to face him. My father. I'm not strong enough. I'm weak. I'm so weak compared to him."

She could feel tears pricking in her eyes but she refused to show weakness like that. She had lowered herself this much already, and she couldn't give up that last bit of pride she had left. She refused too. It was all she had left right now.

Levy smiled at her and stretched out a hand. "Come on then. I'll help you get there."

Protector Of The Fairies

Lisanna carefully opened the door to her sister's room before carrying in some food for the girl to eat. Mira had not left the room in days, wallowing in pity and insecurity.

She couldn't call her sister out on it though. She was too kind by nature and could only give reassuring words. She wasn't the type of person who could break her sister out of this funk very easily. Given time sure, but how long would that take in the first place?

She placed the tray on the table near her sister and left, hearing a soft thank you as she left. At least her sister still communicated a bit, even if it was just small things like that.

As she reached the door, a red haired girl marched past her. Before she could protest, she found herself shoved out of the room and had the door slammed in her face.

She couldn't work out if she was angry or relieved to see Erza here.

Erza stood silently for a few moments, taking in her friend's form. Mira barely seemed to acknowledge she was there, instead continued to lean against the wall, he knees brought up to her chest.

Without any warning, Erza marched over to Mira, grabbed hold of her, and proceeded to pull Mira to her feet and slam her against the wall.

Mira still didn't respond, her gaze flickering to Erza's. Erza could get a good idea what she was feeling from that one look. Anger, but not towards Erza. Confusion about her own skills. Self loathing, as if she was the one who caused Ichigo's own interference.

"Enough of this," demanded Erza. "You are not staying in your room any longer."

"Why do you care?" Mira's voice was so dull and not anything like her usual tone. A statement from Erza like that would have sent both of them into a fight by now.

Erza's voice softened slightly as she spoke her next few words. "You're my friend."

Mira smiled but shook her head. "I'm fine here for now. Don't worry about me."

"Don't worry about you? Don't Worry? Mira, you've been in here for days. You can't hide in your room forever. You need to get out. Do some quests and get over this."

"Get over it?" Mira scoffed. "I'm sorry but not all of us got to become S Class legitimately, so I'm sorry if I'm not over it yet."

Erza scowled and threw her friend across the room. It didn't do much to Mira who simply shrugged it off as she stood up. Before she could do anything though, she found herself held against the wall, swords pinning her by her clothes.

"I'm done being nice. What is your deal here? You earned your S Class rank. You have no reason to mope around."

"Earned it?" Mira laughed. "You think I earned it. I got it because the Master decided Ichigo wasn't allowed to pass. You think I would have got it if Ichigo had been in there normally. I may have lost, but at least it would have been fair."

"Missions aren't fair. Don't kid yourself into thinking everything is fair either."

"But this should be. Am I even an S Class Mage? The Master may have said that he didn't need to pass anyone, but did he really pass me because I was ready? Or did he do it because it was planned from the start."

"What about Cana? She could have gotten past instead of failing. Are you going to say now that you think the Master planned that out too?"

Mira looked away. "That's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean? Are you going to sit in here forever, complaining because you didn't lose? Because if Ichigo had passed, you wouldn't have. That may sound harsh but it's the reality. He could have passed before I did."

"Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't passed," muttered Mira.

"Because Ichigo wouldn't have left?"

Mira nodded. "If no one had passed, would he have left for this mission at all? You saw how worried the Master was at the thought of someone taking that mission. He could easily die on it, and all of us were probably the ones who caused him to go on it, just to get away."

Erza glared at Mira. "Can you say for certain that he wouldn't have done the same thing if he had passed? Can you say he wouldn't have done this if the S Class Trials hadn't been recently? This is Ichigo we are talking about. He would have done it anyway."

Erza flicked a hand and the swords holding Mira vanished. "Now then, you can either stay here and continue your pity party, or you can come with me and go on an S Class Quest with me. I still want to show you how they work in reality and I don't plan to do nothing while you whine in your room."

Mira watched Erza leave before looking down at herself. What was she really doing in her anyway? She didn't like acting like this. She was being foolish. She was being weak. Lisanna looked up to her, and Elfman respected her for how she was. If she continued like this, she would just be tarnishing what they believed in about her.

She forced herself to her feet and slowly made her way to her door. Her feet were a bit weak from staying in that same position for so long, but she got there in the end. Erza smiled at her as she stepped through the threshold, offering a hand. Mira took it.

Protector Of The Fairies

Laxus sat by himself in his room, piles of notes and planned resting on his desk that he would glance between at random intervals.

It wasn't enough. He thought he had gotten everything off his chest when he confronted his grandfather, yet all he could feel was anger. So much anger that he couldn't deal with it. He wanted to lose it. He wanted to go on a rampage and destroy everything just so it would calm him down.

If Ichigo was here, they could have just sparred. It was what usually rid him of his anger and tension.

But Ichigo wasn't here anymore. He would be away for months, maybe longer if he wanted more time away from the guild. He couldn't blame him if Ichigo wanted that time either. After everything Ichigo did for the guild, he deserved some time off.

Yet would that stubborn idiot take it though? Ichigo never cared about himself and put everyone else above him. It was the most annoying thing about Ichigo yet it was the part of him that could bring people together. If it wasn't for Ichigo, he would never have interacted with Levy. He and that girl just weren't compatible normally but Ichigo gave them something to unite over.

If his grandfather had accepted Ichigo earlier, what would the guild be like? Would Ichigo have united everyone to him like he had done with the few people he knew?

Thinking about it, it was almost entirely possible. Ichigo even had an ally in the form of the Chairman of the Magic Council from what Ichigo told him, though he still had to do those missions to keep it. Yet Ichigo never had to call the Chairman by any titles, despite what was said about the Chairman not minding the lack of formalities.

And not to mention that the Chairman even helped train Ichigo. Ichigo never asked, and he never would have either, yet the Chairman had gone as far as to give him more for what he was doing. He had never seen that coming and had believed it would have been impossible, but it still happened. It was a sign of that power of Ichigo's.

But now Ichigo was gone and couldn't do anything about the guild. As much as he wanted to get Levy's help, the girl was too timid at times, but she was also too nice and kind. She couldn't do what might be necessary one day to change it.

He could though. He could play the part easily, and that anger would certainly help. He would watch and observe, and see what happens first of all. He'll watch the world's reactions and decide from what he'll see.

If it was decided that Fairy Tail would refuse to change or that they don't change enough, then he'll do it for them. He'll need a team though. Not one like Team Fairy though, because no team could be like they were. No, he needed a different kind of team. One loyal to him without question. One capable of doing whatever needs to be done.

Days, weeks, months, years, time was irrelevant now. He would change Fairy Tail no matter how long it took. If he had one deadline, then it was Ichigo. Because above all else, he wanted the perfect Fairy Tail for his friend to return to. No more scorn, no more pity, no more confusion. He'll make Fairy Tail the strongest in the world, and he'll leave the space he promised to Ichigo all those years open for when Ichigo returned.

The Ace's spot.

Protector Of The Fairies

Makarov reached towards the mug and downed the rest of the liquid inside it. It was a repeated method by now. Sleep, wake up, drink, eat a bit, drink some more, then start from the beginning.

God, what had he done? All this time, he had justified it all to himself. To him, it had always been the right thing to do.

He glanced down at the photo in front of him. It was an old one that he had barely managed to find. It was about the time where Happy had been born if he remembered correctly. There he was at the far right, Macao and Wakaba nearby. You then had Mira a bit below him with her typical smirk, Gray to her right in his boxers and Cana in her usual orange dress. Both those two were smiling wildly.

In the centre was Natsu riding on a blue Dragon. Reedus had gained a sudden burst of inspiration at the time and had changed Happy from a cat to a Dragon when he painted it. Next you had Lisanna jumping for joy with Elfman grinning happily behind her. Erza was stood proudly next to them.

Finally was the part that he remembered more clearly than anything else. Laxus stood near the edge, yet instead of a frown on his face there was a small smile. Levy was a bit to his left, both nervous and happy. She had recently joined Team Fairy if he remembered correctly.

Then right in the centre was Ichigo. He was smiling widely with his arms slung over both of the other two's shoulders and pulling them into the photo. There were few times he had ever seen Ichigo that happy while he had been in the boy's presence, but this was one of them.

Looking at this photo, how could he have ever thought so wrongly of Ichigo? Why did he believe so badly in the boy?

He was a foolish old man. He remembered the day Kisuke walked into the guild for the first time, and it was almost exactly the same with Ichigo. Both excited yet hiding it carefully, and both smart even if Kisuke was the smarter of the two. And like parallels to one another, both shot up quickly in strength.

Yet Kisuke had left way before even hitting eighteen. Ichigo was still here and it had never looked like he planned to leave despite what he had been wary of all this time.

He let his fear of what Ichigo had done all those years back blind him. To think all this time it had been his fault that Ichigo had to do the same missions that he looked down on the boy for. If he had listened to anyone back then, he could have avoided all of this.

It wasn't going to end suddenly either. How long would the rift take to be mended between him and Laxus? And would Ichigo even be able to forgive him when he returned?

He reached over for another mug and drank some more. He'd leave that choice up to Ichigo when, or if, the boy returned. He was afraid for that boy. The mission he was on could get him killed but, as Laxus said, he had no right to take Ichigo off the mission. He can't act all grandfatherly to Ichigo when he has never been fair with him all this time.

He hoped Ichigo would one day be able to forgive him for all his mistakes. All he could do now was wish him luck. Because despite how he had always acted, that boy was still a part of his family. Everyone in Fairy Tail was, and he was finally going to start acting as he should towards Ichigo. He would believe in him just like he did everyone else.

Still, he kept wishing that same thing.

"Stay safe Ichigo, and come home to us soon."

Protector Of The Fairies

A bit of an interlude type chapter here. I got some advice about having one of these a few times before and it made sense to have one right after that whole scene last chapter. Best point to have it as well since it's right before the next few chapters of Ichigo but not too close to the timeskip interlude.

Anyway, I hoped you liked all of these short scenes. For Natsu, I thought of why he loves destruction, and I believe it is because of his upbringing. We are all influenced by that in some form or another and Natsu here was raised by a Dragon.

I have plans for Cana, which were inspired by a loyal reader of mine. You know who you are. Anyway, I believed that Cana would want to be stronger because of her father as we see in both canon and here. Levy is her target for helping her simply because they started off the same in a way, both weaker than people like Natsu and Gray, yet Levy has slowly clawed her way up to them.

Mira's was more of a regret type since that's what she would feel the most here. She was part of the trial Ichigo was on after all. Laxus's however is all about his anger that is still there, and I wanted to do his part especially since I couldn't get it anywhere else in the later chapters. It's a sign of the future, and you can work out what the team he forms will be.

Finally, Makarov. The old man finally realised the truth only too late from what it looks like to him. I took the old photo of Happy's birth, added in Ichigo and Levy, and changed Laxus's expression in it. I don't know if Levy was there or not but for this story, she was. I'm sure it would have been close if she wasn't there anyway.

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