Chapter 11: Unwelcome Guests

We're a bit late but it is here now. Had some Uni work to do so I didn't have time to edit this till late today. It is still Tuesday though so it still counts as your weekly chapter. Unless you are reading this on Wednesday and in that case, too bad.

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

Protector Of The Fairies

Unwelcome Guests

Ichigo yawned as he forced himself to get up out of bed. Last night's training must have tired him out more than he had thought.

He stretched and got dressed, grabbing Zangetsu on his way out. He always had it by his bed. He had gone so far as to move his mattress onto the floor and remove the rest of the bed entirely just because it was easier to get to in an instance.

He pulled open his bedroom's door and walked into the living area beyond. It had been three years since that S Class Quest. They had taken others sure, but most of the others had never been as thrilling as those days.

Now most of their time was spent training, going on the odd S Class Quest, and trying to spread their image of Fairy Tail, not the one it was currently showing.

People were learning more and more about the guild. You could hear all kinds of rumours in bars that Laxus snuck them into and it was the best way to get the word on how the guild was looking. Most was never very good and few of their deeds managed to change that much.

The Master had yet to stop the guild. He was pushing the boundaries too far even after they had been moved to accommodate them. Everyone at least knew that hiring Fairy Tail invited destruction in its wake so people were always prepared for destruction but then the idiots went and overstepped that line.

Natsu was one of the worst. He was certainly a powerful Mage but he caused far too much collateral damage. And what does the Master do? He gives him a 'stern' warning and tells him not to do it again. He does that every time it happens.

Of course Gray was bad too. He and Natsu's rivalry spread to missions and went they fought, they caused even more damage. Then there were the Strauss Siblings. Lisanna was nice and calm but her Magic couldn't even be very destructive in the first place. Animal Soul wasn't nearly as dangerous to the surroundings as Beast Soul and Satan Soul were.

Why did Elfman have to step out of his shell? He was so much better when he was shy and timid. At least then he wasn't like a walking bulldozer. And Mirajane had no concept of pulling punches. He and Laxus had managed to peak at the reports like they always did and most of the ones about Mirajane were that she intimidated the civilians who hired her when they accidently insulted her. No harm was ever done but it did look bad for Fairy Tail if people were afraid to hire them.

Cana was one of the better ones. She rarely caused damages but she did start increasing the drunkard rumours. She was fifteen yet she could out drink most fully grown adults and caused a fortune in alcohol costs.

Erza was marginally better than most of the younger group yet she was too hasty and wanted things instantly. If she didn't get the information she wanted fast enough, she'd slam her head against the one she was talking to, knock the man out, and then move onto the next one. That cycle would continue till no one even could tell her what she was after.

And she was meant to be an S Class Mage. What the hell was that up with if she acted like this? S Class Mages had to represent the guild and give it a good image. This wasn't the right image.

It wasn't that she wasn't strong because she certainly was. She had passed the S Class Trials just a year back, making her one of the youngest S Class Mages to even succeed. Laxus had been outraged. The older Mage had gone so far to say that Ichigo could have done it even younger if the Master had let him.

The Master had once again looked at him like that. Like he was someone that could be an enemy but wasn't determined yet. The more quests the Magic Council sent, the more the Master looked at him like that.

Those eyes were infuriating. Sometimes he just wanted to scream at the man that he was doing everything he did for the good of the guild but he knew that if he did, the Master would just tell him that he was being silly. The Master wouldn't change anything. It would mean nothing.

The requests the Council had been sending had increased again. It really was a vicious cycle. The more destruction Fairy Tail caused, the more requests he got, which meant the more the Master looked at him like that. Then more destruction would happen and it would repeat all over again.

He gave a short glance at the door and saw a few letters slotted through the mail slot. Already at this distance, he could see the fancy writing he had grown familiar with. It would be from Juushirou.

Ever since all those years back at his first mission, he had only after gotten his requests two ways. The first was just mailed through. They didn't have to explain anything anymore as he knew their terms and they knew his. The other method was when Juushirou himself would drop by.

That had been surprising when the man dropped by not long after the S Class Quest. He was the Chairman of the Magic Council so most would assume he would always be in Era dealing with important matters. When he asked, the white haired man said that Org had it covered and he needed to take a break every so often.

He almost always had a request for a tough mission when he showed up, and they were the ones that could keep someone up at night. The worst missions weren't always ones that involved killing. Since he wouldn't kill for them, they found missions that were actually worse. Ones where you would come home with all faith in the Council being lost because of what they had, and you couldn't even tell anyone the true details to get it off your chest.

One thing he always got in exchange though from these missions was lessons, and they may not have made it worth it but they were helpful. Juushirou had shown him his Zanpaktou and explained he was a Shinigami like himself and that was why he was interested in his progress and helping him get stronger. Part of him knew the man was simply observing his strengths and weaknesses and making him better suited for future missions but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Most of their lessons were Kidou based as Juushirou would turn up with a useful Spell for him to learn that the book didn't cover or he would expand on previous Spells if he was having trouble learning them. He even gave a brief introduction on Kidou Creation one time.

They sparred at times and other times were spent racing with Shunpo. The first time Juushirou had seen his Shunpo, he had looked shocked at his explanation and had shown him a different method. He certainly found that he could move further with Juushirou's method but it still felt different than before. When they sparred, he found he could trick Juushirou a few times by mixing the method of Shunpo he used.

Right now, it seemed the request would just be a normal one. He could look at it later. There wasn't any rush. Unless Natsu did something stupid again. That actually sounded possible. He really should read that letter now.

A quick swipe and a few moments later, the letter was left on the table in the living room, practically being ignored. All they wanted was for him to remove a Vulcan infestation this time. He could do it in no time. It was far easier than their last request.

The requests had been getting easier over time. He didn't like to think much about it. He assured himself that it was simply because he was getting stronger all the time but part of him was always afraid. What if he was no use to them anymore? What if he wasn't needed? What would happen to Fairy Tail without his interference?

He stopped anymore lines of thought following that direction. It wasn't good to get worried too much. It would drive him insane otherwise.

Instead, he could focus on happier things. Things like the S Class Trials coming up.

Laxus had barged in one day before it was announced with a large smile on his face and hadn't told him anything at all. If he had focused more on the date, he would have noticed that the announcement had been the next day and that would be why Laxus was so excited.

There were a few of the younger generation taking place this year. Not just him but also Mirajane and Cana. Mirajane, despite her faults, had the strength. The question was whether the reasonability would break her of her intimidation habits. He doubted it. Erza hadn't changed much either.

Cana was in the trial that took place the previous year so this made it her second attempt. He heard she ran into Erza last year so that couldn't have ended well. If she was lucky, she wouldn't run into him but it wouldn't matter anyway. He was aiming for that top place and he would reach it no matter what.

Only three this year. Last year had a few more but that was those Mages' last attempt and they had given up trying now. There was going to be a lot of competition with the others younger than him in the future but for now, few had the potential.

He had even heard that Gildarts was coming back for this set of Trials. The rumours were that he was an obstacle people had to avoid. Erza was there as well and so was Laxus. The three S Class Mages of Fairy Tail seemed to be something like bosses for the three participants.

He already had his teammate for the trails ready. It had to be Levy. There was no one else suitable.

Levy had definitely grown stronger over the years, probably so she wouldn't be left behind. She had come to love the nickname Jura gave her and now she had managed to get it spreading round Fiore, just like Natsu had done with his nickname, Salamander.

The Shinigami and the Word Priestess. Add in a Dragon Slayer and you had a really weird mix for Team Fairy.

Still, she had lived up to that name of hers. She had become more and more effective with each word's effects and even managed to manipulate them to her own purposes. The word 'Light' before had been used to light up areas but now she could also use it to make herself lighter instead of using 'Weight'. Even controlling the Magic from words like 'Fire' had become easier as she didn't have to fire it as a blast anymore.

She was ecstatic when he told her that she would be joining him for the trials. To her, it must have made her feel like all her effort had been completely worth it.

Laxus meanwhile had managed to finally control Dragon Force. He could lose it sometimes if he got too angry but he mostly had the power under control. Massive muscle mass was a thing of the past as with the new control, that power was focused in his body properly yet not losing the physical strength it had given. Now though, Laxus was much faster with it, especially in his Lightning Form. And his attack power had increase in kind.

Things were going well. He doubted anything could get him down in the mood he was in. He poured himself a drink and was taking a sip when-

"Hey Ichigo."

He spat the drink back out as he glanced towards the sound. Coming out of one of the spare rooms was a blue haired girl, still dressing in pyjamas.

"Levy…"

No that was strange. How long had she been in there? All night? She wouldn't have walked all the way to his house in her pyjamas after all. Unless she was just doing this to tease him and had gotten the pyjamas using Requip. He hadn't taught her it but someone else could have so he wasn't sure if she knew it or not.

But wait. What was that in the room she came from? He passed her without a word and opened the door wide, revealing a room full of books as high as the walls themselves. He couldn't even see the bed in there. How many books did she have?

No. Why was he wondering how many books she had? He should be asking why they were all here in the first place. This wasn't her storage area.

"Levy."

"Yes?" The girl smiled at him innocently, eating cereal from a bowl she had gotten out. How did she even know where he kept all that stuff?

"Why is all your stuff here?"

The girl was saved from answering straight away as Laxus stumbled in from another of the rooms, also dressed in sleepwear.

"Laxus?"

He sped past the blonde haired man before he could stop him and glared into the room. It was filled with all Laxus's stuff, ranging from headphones to bits of clothes thrown about everywhere. The only neat place was on a desk he didn't remember getting and it seemed to be filled with important bits of paper about the guild from what he could see at this distance.

"Why is your stuff here too?"

"Blame the squirt."

"Hey! It's not my fault. Don't pin this on me."

"Who's the one who snuck in first?"

"Who's the one who took too long?"

Ichigo watched the back and forth, not sure what was even going on in the first place. It was absolutely crazy to see the twenty year old Mage argue with someone six years his junior.

"You weren't fast enough."

"Enough."

The two snapped out of their arguments to see his irritated look. "Why is your stuff in my rooms?"

"They're technically spare rooms."

"I wouldn't care if they were monster infested. What. Is. Your. Stuff. Doing. In. My. Rooms?

Laxus gave obvious gestures towards Levy who snapped at him in revenge.

"Levy?"

"Well…" The girl looked around nervously but it seemed to be more out of embarrassment. "I had a little disagreement over at Fairy Hills."

He was familiar with Fairy Hills. If his memory was correct, it was a dorm specifically for female Fairy Tail Mages. There was a steep rent though. One hundred thousand Jewels per month for one room, and more rooms didn't decrease that cost. Levy had even told him once that Erza had gotten five to store all her armours in. It helped S Class Quests paid high else she would have trouble affording it.

They had helped set Levy up there originally until she had been able to pay herself. So what was the problem? And why did he feel like her answer would fill him with so much dread?

"I may have forgotten to pay my rent this month."

That wasn't too bad. But that didn't explain why she had all her stuff here? Surely they could accept one late payment when the guild was owned by Fairy Tail? It didn't seem like the Master would let the owner just kick someone out that easily.

"Still doesn't explain all your stuff being here."

Levy's embarrassment increased as she turned red. "It may not have been the first time I missed a payment."

Ichigo frowned. She couldn't be that far behind with some payments. He and Laxus had paid the owner over two years worth of rent in advance as a precaution just in case she had a load of bad months over the years. Sometimes you couldn't get enough some months if you didn't go on many missions. He should be able to fix this though.

"When was the last time you paid your rent? We should be able to sort something out."

He was already starting to search for his wallet when Levy started shaking her head. "That won't be necessary actually. I'm not really allowed back there anymore."

"What?"

Levy saw the angry look on his face. "It's not their fault. I just got behind on my payments."

"When was the last time you paid if they kicked you out?"

"Well…" Levy fiddled with her hands as she looked away. "Do you remember when we went on our first mission together?"

"Yeah." How could he forget? It was the day she joined him and Laxus on Team Fairy.

"And you got me settled in Fairy Hills later on that day…"

"Yes…" He didn't like the way this was sounding.

"Well I spent that money that day on books like you said and… I kind of couldn't stop after the other missions."

"Levy. When was the last time you paid your rent?"

"Um… What day was it needed to be paid on?"

And there was the dread he had been feeling. "You haven't paid a single Jewel have you?"

"Nope." The girl seemed oddly happy at that, though that must be because she spent the money on books. First time he ever saw someone with a book addiction. Maybe he could find her some help or something.

"So you just decided to crash here?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "You had spare rooms so I just took one."

"Without asking?"

"Ah." Levy shook her head. "I knew we would reach this snag if I asked. So I just took the initiative and moved in."

"But-"

Levy stared up at him, putting on the best puppy look she could. Ichigo felt his resolve crumbling. Saying no now would be like kicking a puppy into a street.

He'd put up with her for now. She would find a place soon enough. Right?

He turned towards Laxus. "And you?"

Laxus pointed at Levy. "I saw the squirt moving her stuff in at the dead of night and decided to lend a hand. Of course, then I decided I might as well finish moving in. You'd be less likely to kick us both out if there were two of us instead of one."

"Finish…"

Laxus nodded. "Yeah. I'm surprised you haven't noticed. I've been sneaking my stuff into that room for months so you wouldn't end up not questioning it when I finally moved in here. The three of us spend most of our time here anyway and I was tired staying with Gramps."

Laxus scratched his chin in thought. "I'm surprised you didn't work it out a few weeks back. I mean I walked right past you with that massive desk of mine and placed it in the room. It was a close call that time."

"To be honest, I doubted you would even notice when I finally starting living here too. Levy went for the overwhelming route while I went for the integration route. I even read a book about it."

"You read it too?" Levy rushed into 'her' room and came back out with a book. The title seemed very appropriate for the situation. How to live in your friend's house without them kicking you out. Why did a book like that exist anyway?

"I give up." Ichigo just walked to the cupboard and grabbed some food. At some point, Laxus had done exactly what Levy had done and had already started on breakfast. If you couldn't kick them out of your house, you might as well join them.

He couldn't find it in himself to kick them out anymore as they ate. It felt just like normal which meant that the two living here wouldn't change much. Just as long as they contributed some rent…

Who was he kidding? Levy got kicked out of Fairy Hills for not paying her rent. Here would be no different. And Laxus liked to sneak off whenever he asked for the money he let the man borrow. He doubted he would see that soon. If he wasn't taking these high reward quests, he would have some serious problems with these two.

Of course if Laxus was staying here now too, there was one thing he could pay him with.

"You got some of the details for the S Class Trials didn't you Laxus?"

Laxus looked up at Ichigo and tried to shrug off the question. "This and that."

"So…"

Laxus sighed. "This is revenge isn't it?"

"Come on. The more you know, the better prepared you can be."

Laxus looked to Levy for help only to find she had turned on him too, the cursed puppy eyes staring up at him.

"Fine then. I can't tell you much but I can tell you where we're going."

"That's enough. So where is it this year? Tenrou?"

Laxus shook his head. "Tenrou is rare. We were there for my trial but it will be a lot longer till we go there again. No, this time we're going somewhere ancient. A place just outside one of the most sacred places in Fiore."

"And they're letting our guild go there?"

"We're not anywhere near enough to damage the place. It's more like a background for the first task and a maze for the second."

"Maze?"

Laxus realised he had said too much. "No, not saying."

"Oh come on. That means the first task is a battle task if we can go in the place for the second task."

Laxus nodded in annoyance. "Yeah. Don't tell Gramps I told you that. It's meant to be a surprise."

"I won't. Now where's this special place we're going to?"

"It's a place called the Seireitei. It's meant to be an old fortress-"

Ichigo wasn't listening anymore. The Seireitei. Why did that name sound so important? Why did it sound like it was calling to him? What was the Seireitei?

"Ichigo."

Ichigo was quickly brought out of his thoughts by Laxus, looking at him confused. "Are you okay?"

Ichigo shrugged off Laxus's worries. "It's nothing. Just thinking."

"About the Seireitei?" asked Levy. "It's meant to mean something akin to Court of Pure Souls. Does that help?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'll check a few things but considering Shinigami means Death God, it could be related. Then again, I could be over thinking this."

"I can pester Gramps for a bit of info. If anyone in the guild knows, Gramps might. He's knowledgeable about a lot of things."

"I can check some books," contributed Levy. "Maybe something's in there."

"It's okay guys." He didn't want them worry about this. If it was Shinigami related, there was a low chance that they would find anything. It was like searching for proof that Dragons still existed.

Still, maybe he could check with Zangetsu or visit Juushirou. The man had offered an ear if he ever needed to ask something. If anyone knew what happened in Fiore, it was that man.

Protector Of The Fairies

A clear blue sky hung above him. There were a few clouds in the sky but none of them looked like they were going to rain yet. He had been here a few times before in good time and bad and he had seen the changed that happened here.

In the happy moments, the sky was clear as far as the eye could see. In the bad moments, it couldn't be seen. A few times after some tough missions from the Council, where it had hit him quite hard mentally, he had retreated into his mind to cope. Here, he had seen the impact that his mood had on the world.

It had rained lightly a few times while he had been here yet Zangetsu said it was nothing compared to what it had been like years ago. He had an idea of what Zangetsu was referring to so he tried not to remember. Each time he did, the sky clouded once more and it came close to raining.

He stood on a large tall building, tilted on its side. The whole world was like this. Everything was tilted in the world yet the clouds still remained upright. He thought he was crazy the first time he showed up here, and it took a while to get use to the fact that he wouldn't fall if he stood up.

There were a lot of these massive towers around this world. Zangetsu once said that they represented his hopes and dreams in this world, and going by the size of them, it meant they were all big goals.

For now, he had to find Zangetsu. The man was normally on a flagpole somewhere, waiting there for him whenever he appeared here.

And there he was. The familiar middle aged man in his tattered black overcoat, his ragged black hair flowing in the wind while a pair of shades shielded his eyes. This was Zangetsu's form in this world inside his mind.

"Ichigo."

"Old man."

Ichigo joined the man on the building before sitting down on the ground and crossing his legs, a pose identical to the one used to enter this world.

It was known as Jinzen. The Shinigami attempting this would sit down on the ground like he was now and cross their legs. They would then place their Zanpaktou on their lap and meditate as they force their mind to join with their Zanpaktou.

This form was more than just simple meditation. Here, any wounds you were inflicted outside were ignored because you were so deeply entrenched in your own mind that nothing could bring you out unless you chose to leave. At the same time, wounds gained in the inner world were reflected outside on the Shinigami's body. If you entered this state, you had to make sure you weren't suddenly about to get attacked or you wouldn't even notice.

Zangetsu looked at him and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "You are looking for something."

Zangetsu didn't even have to ask him to know what he wanted to know. The old man was a part of his own soul and it knew everything about him. It wasn't that hard to think that the old man already knew what he wanted to ask.

"Have you ever heard of a place called the Seireitei?"

Zangetsu looked at him curiously. "When did you hear of that name?"

"From Laxus. He said that's where the S Class Trials are taking place this year at."

Zangetsu took a deep breath. "The Seireitei is an old place. Very old."

"But what is it? Why does it sound so familiar?"

Zangetsu shook his head. "I do not know why it calls to you. If it was possible, I would advise against going."

"I have to. I can't miss this chance to become an S Class Mage."

"Surely you don't need the name. You are already at the level of power which the name holds. A name does not make you an S Class Mage when you are already one."

Ichigo sighed. "Tell that to the Master. Besides, the only way to help change this guild is to become an S Class Mage in rank. It holds a lot more sway than being just a regular Mage."

"Still, I would advise against going."

This was strange. Why was Zangetsu so against this? He had always supported his decision with becoming an S Class Mage before. Was there something wrong with the Seireitei?

"I'm sorry, but I need to."

Zangetsu looked at him sorrowfully. "I see. I tried at least. Don't blame me for not stopping you when you see what the place has become."

"Wait Zangetsu. What do you-"

Zangetsu watched as Ichigo disappeared from his inner world. He had been forced to make Ichigo leave, less he keep asking questions about the Seireitei. It wasn't good to focus on such a relic of the past, especially when it could only hurt him.

Ichigo certainly was ready to be S Class. He could have done it a year or two back if Makarov had allowed him. If he had done it then, he wouldn't be forced to visit the Seireitei hopefully. There was no way he could stop Ichigo now though. The past would come to light on that place and he hoped Ichigo wouldn't be affected too much by it. The past was the past and it should stay that way. He didn't want to face the rain again.

A loud laugh came from behind him and he swiped out, the oversized trench knife appearing in his hands. The owner of the voice barely had time to dodge before it was forced to retreat back.

"You know if you're too scared of the rain to deal with his problems, put me in charge and I'll do what needs to be done."

Zangetsu frowned at the person. "I am all Ichigo needs. I can keep Ichigo safe myself. He does not need your help."

The person smiled. "Come now. You can't keep me from him forever. I'll get closer and closer to him and kick you out till I'm the one in charge here. I won't listen to what you have to say."

Zangetsu glared at the person. "Then I will make sure that he never trusts you and locks you away as you should be."

The person frowned. "You can't keep this up forever. Against me, you are nothing. I'll be the one to come out on top."

"And how do you intend to fight against me and Ichigo?"

"I'll make him listen to me. I'll make sure our roles here are reversed. Then he'll be mine, and mine alone."

Zangetsu aimed his blade at the person. "If you try anything, I will kill you."

The person smiled in return. "You can try, but if you could do such a thing, you would have done it by now."

The person slowly started fading away as it found itself being absorbed into Zangetsu.

"Just know this, I'll claw my way up eventually. And when I'm strong enough, I'll make sure you know your place."

"That is fine," said Zangetsu as the figure of the man in front of him vanished. "But you will never succeed. I will keep you suppressed for the rest of Ichigo's life. And I will never give you what you want. Ichigo is mine."

Protector Of The Fairies

Ichigo found Laxus and Levy staring down at him as he awoke.

"Anything?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Zangetsu knows something but he won't say. He doesn't want me to go there for some reason but the choice is out of his hands."

"I didn't get anything either," said Levy. "I checked the archives at Fairy Tail. There's barely anything there about Shinigami in the first place and the most I found was fiction. They did say a few things about the Seireitei but they were more like rumours."

"Tell me anyway."

Levy closed her eyes as she remembered, a small smile appearing on her face. "It was described as a wonderland. A capital surrounded by pure white walls. Hundreds of people lived there at any one time and it was one of the greatest strongholds a Mage could retreat to."

Levy shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, that was all I could get from the books, and I had to cross reference to get this much. The place was old though. Very old."

Laxus nodded. "I got something from Gramps too. Apparently, he had no knowledge of such a place for most of his life. I heard he knew a Shinigami who joined around Gildarts's time and he was the one who told him of the Seireitei and where it was. I don't think Gramps has ever seen the place before but he knows roughly where it is."

Laxus gestured at Levy. "Going by her description, it should be easy to find once we get close enough. Gramps will probably scout it out and put me, Gildarts, and Erza in the path of Cana, you, and Mira."

"In that order?"

Laxus froze, realising what he had said. "Forget that. I never said anything."

"So me and Ichigo have to fight Gildarts?" asked Levy.

"Nope. I'm not saying anything."

"Come on."

"Nothing."

Ichigo looked down at his Zanpaktou and frowned. Whatever Zangetsu was worried about, he would face head on. He had to find out what exactly this Seireitei was, and why Zangetsu didn't want him going anywhere near it.

Protector Of The Fairies

And that ends chapter 11. We had a longer timeskip here and it isn't long till a certain event happens.

A bit more humorous chapter this time instead of anything fast paced. It is like the opening for this Arc and it picks up faster next chapter. You all better look forward to it.

In other news, did you see the latest Bleach chapter? They are providing me with more and more stuff to use here. Makes me happy.

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