Chapter 20: Three Years Can Change Things

Chapter 20 is here. A bit late today because I slept in way too long and then had a bit of work to do with coursework. Finish three sets and what happens, you get a sudden new one. Hopefully I can get the first parts working before my term ends. The rest should be smooth sailing after that. Makes me glad I still have these reserve chapters though.

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

Protector Of The Fairies

Three Years Can Change Things

Natsu stood on top of the crashed boat, staring down at the people below, wondering how it came to this.

At first, he had come to this town to find Igneel. The rumours of a Salamander around these parts had been widespread from what he had heard.

Then he met the so called Salamander. He hadn't made the connection at the time to his own nickname and quite frankly, he didn't care. Salamander was just a nickname. Someone else could have it if they wanted. It wasn't like losing it would change anything.

Lucy. That was the girl's name. He had inadvertently saved her from a Charm Spell that Salamander was casting and she had been nice enough to buy him and Happy lunch. He had wondered at the time whether to say that he was a Fairy Tail Mage since she seemed to love the guild a lot, but in the end he hadn't even gotten round to saying anything. Even so, he had been sure that if she really wanted to join then she would turn up at Fairy Tail at some point or another.

They had parted ways and he would have left town earlier that night until he heard what the people nearby had said. There were many things he could take, but pretending to be a Fairy Tail Mage was not one of them.

It may have not been his brightest idea though to get Happy to drop him off on the boat, especially when it was a moving boat. He hated his motion sickness sometimes, he really did.

Happy escaped with Lucy and they flew away so he was more than willing to take some punishment from their weak attacks for the time being. That was until that massive wave had appeared and swept the entire boat back into the harbour.

At the last second, he had flung himself towards the side where the houses had been and pushed back against the boat, slowing its speed enough to cause it to just crash against the beach. He wasn't going to let it reach any further into the town if he could. Maybe a few years ago, he wouldn't have tried so hard, but then he had loved destruction so much back then. He supposed he would have made a good Dark Mage if he had actually understood the consequences of his actions and had still enjoyed doing what he did.

He couldn't blame Lucy for the reckless attack though. She was obviously a novice Mage who had a particularly strong Celestial Spirit. He would have to ask which it was because he had barely any knowledge of that kind of Magic. It wasn't one he had fought before, which normally tended to be the primary source of how he learned of new Magic.

Below him was the source of today's trouble. Salamander and his little group of minions, all waiting and wondering what had just happened. He had to confirm one thing first, just to make sure that rumour hadn't been just that.

"Are you a member of Fairy Tail?"

"What are you waiting for?" shouted the so called Salamander. "Finish him off."

"Let me get a good look at your face."

Natsu hear Lucy call his name in fear as he shrugged off his coat but he ignored her, focusing on the enemies in front of him. The first two thugs swung at him but he threw them to the side with one punch. He didn't even need to use his Magic to deal with them.

"I'm Natsu from Fairy Tail, and I haven't ever seen you before."

"That mark," said one of the thugs in fear. "He's the real deal Bora."

"You idiot. Don't use that name."

Natsu had a rough idea of who that guy was. Someone who had been kicked out of their old guild and had turned to crime, a fake name being taken to avoid links to their old past that could be traced.

He started slowly matching towards Bora. "I don't care who you are, but I can't forgive anyone who pretends to be a Fairy Tail Mage. We can't afford to have people messing up our reputation when we've spent so much time fixing it."

"What the hell is going on out here Bora?"

Natsu froze as he saw the newcomer break out from some of the rubble. The guy was wearing dark clothes with a large sword strapped to his back. What made him pause however was the pile of orange hair, resting on the guy's head.

"Ah," said Bora happily. "Let's see you mess with us now. Do you know who this guy is? He's a Shinigami."

The orange haired man smirked at the shaking figure of Natsu. "Look at him. He's scar-"

He was cut off as a flame covered fist smashed into his chest, sending him flying.

Natsu growled slightly as he clenched his fist tighter. It had been three years, but he completely remembered what Ichigo looked like. That confidence the guy emitted with the kindness and loyalty right behind it. Even how he acted when he fought someone. While he had never made Ichigo fight him properly, the man had responded much quicker than he could strike.

He knew that he had grown stronger over the years, but he knew that there was no way that the person he had just hit had been Ichigo. The Ichigo he knew and respected was absolutely not that weak.

"Prominence Typhoon!"

A stream of purple fire spiralled towards Natsu before crashing into him. He could hear his enemies laughing at his supposed defeat. It was enjoyable to hear that confidence vanish as he devoured the flames that had sought to destroy him.

Without speaking, he brought his hands to his mouth and launched out a stream of fire at his enemies. Fire Dragon's Roar was extremely effective against them, especially if he spread it out like he was doing. It wasn't like anyone apart from that Bora guy would be able to deal with it anyway.

And true to his thoughts, everyone but Bora was collapsed on the wreckage of the boat, Bora only managing to be in better condition because of those flames he was using. He must have used them to escape since he was showing that he could confidently fly on them. Could he do that too? He kind of wanted to try but now really wasn't the best time.

"BORA!"

Bora looked down at one of his weakened subordinates. "What is it?"

"That guy, with the pink hair and scarf… There's no doubt. He's the real one. He's the Salamander."

"I would have gone easily on you," said Natsu as his fists lit on fire, "but you had to push even more of my buttons. And by trying to use Ichigo's reputation for your own means, you went too far."

Natsu ignored the shower of flames Bora suddenly shot down at him as he charged, using Magic to send him flying upwards with a jump and using the flames to accelerate him towards his target. His fist connected, sending Bora flying backwards.

The man sneered as he brought his hands backwards. "Hell Prominence!"

A massive beam shot out of his hands, aimed straight towards Natsu.

Natsu prepared to dodge when his eyes glanced to the side. That attack was a sweeper type one. If he didn't stop it, the town would get hit.

Fire Dragon Slayer was an offensive style of Magic. It was all about pure destructive power, which made defending things hard. So he did it in the only way he knew how.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack."

With fire swirling from his arms, he flung them out in opposite directions, creating a barrier that the Hell Prominence would crash into. He may not have any defensive Spells, but he had one thing going for him. All he had to do was to treat his as an attack he needed to overcome. His flames wouldn't lose to ones of this magnitude.

The two attacks collided and, like he predicted, his won out. That was good. The town had been spared the damage from their fight.

He couldn't let this drag on. He had to finish this now.

He light one of his fists on fire as he shot fire from his feet, creating an improvised version of Bora's flight. He wouldn't be able to stay stationary, but it would give him a lot of acceleration towards his target.

Bora tried to flew but it was too late. Natsu brought back his flame encased fist and struck at the man.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

With that last attack, Bora was defeated, his body crashing into the ground with the rest of his group. As Natsu fell himself, he could see in the distance the soldiers of the Council moving in.

His mind quickly counted out how much trouble he had gotten in recently. He had done quite well, and this town was perfectly safe. But that boat was destroyed. And he accidently wrecked that lighthouse when fighting that Sea Monster last week as well.

Maybe he should run then. Better safe than sorry. He grabbed hold of Lucy's wrist, pulling her along as they ran and offered her one of his signature grins. "You wanted to join Fairy Tail right? Well let's go."

Protector Of The Fairies

Levy hummed lightly as she walked back with Jet and Droy. After that recent attack on the guild, the Master had said that they all needed to stay in groups to stay safe from any further attacks. Phantom Lord wasn't above attacking them if they were alone after all, but a group would be enough to deter them. Even the Guild Master of Phantom Lord couldn't deny that they were a strong Guild despite their smaller numbers compared to Phantom Lord.

How did that guild even organise stuff? There were branches all over the place. How did a guild like that have some many resources anyway?

She still preferred Fairy Tail though. There was no way you could form a proper guild if you have members based all over the country. They would never even interact with one another.

For now, she followed Jet and Droy. They were heading to Jet's house for now since Droy's house was full of plants and Jet's was meant to be the closest. There was where she stayed but that wasn't an option. That was the base of Team Fairy. She liked Jet and Droy, and being on Team Shadow Gear again had been fun, but she was a Mage of Team Fairy first and foremost. That house was her sanctuary, and she wouldn't let anyone unwelcome enter there till Ichigo returned.

Something felt wrong tonight. She cursed herself for not having her combat gear at hand. If Ichigo had been here when this had happened…

Who was she kidding? If Ichigo was here, she wouldn't have had to wear the combat gear because he would have likely already have hunted down their attacker. And they wouldn't have stood a chance against him in her opinion.

When was Ichigo coming back? Three years and not a single word. What could he be doing that was so important?

She had freaked out a bit when Laxus had shown up a few weeks after Ichigo had left and said that Ichigo never turned up for the job. That he had cancelled it. They said it was fear but she and Laxus knew Ichigo well enough to know Ichigo wouldn't have backed out of the job because of simple fear. It had to be something worse.

The chill got worse. It felt like they were being watched. Like they were being hunted.

These instincts had been created over years of dangerous missions with Ichigo and Laxus, and she was damned it she wasn't going to listen to them. Her hand shot to her back, making sure her staff weapon was there ready for her to grab.

Jet and Droy noticed her actions and tried to reassure her, both saying nothing was wrong and that they would protect her if something was wrong.

Who did they think they were talking to? She wasn't a weak girl that needed to be guarded. She was Fairy Tail's Word Priestess, and she wasn't going to be scared of something like this.

"Gi Hi Hi Hi."

Levy shot to the side, Jet and Droy too late to dodge the blast of Iron that hit them, sending them flying against a nearby wall. The two boys struggled to their feet and tried to fight their assailant but he was too fast for them, hitting them with his fists and having Iron sprout out of his hands to hold them in place.

Levy watched the man as she reached for the staff on her back. If she hadn't moved, she would have been caught too. She had barely had enough time to realise the man had gone after Jet and Droy, let alone attacked them.

She should have been more cautious. Without her armour, her efficiency was cut down massively. She had no way to enhance herself for more than a second with her Solid Script Magic, and that would be hard to do in the middle of combat.

Her staff extended as she spun it around with one hand, the other making a few subtle motions to create a hidden word behind her. She had a reputation, but not everyone could recognise her for it. This man would hopefully be one of them.

As she spun the staff around, she flicked it around her back, the word 'Iron' latching onto the staff and strengthening the staff. It was too fast for the man to see and she was already moving before he could get the chance, striking out at his side with the staff at an alarming speed.

The assailant brought an arm up to his side, preparing to block it lazily when he felt the blow. Almost instantly, his second arm came to hold back the staff, his other arm pulled as far away from the staff as possible.

The man glanced down at his right arm. He moved it just in time. He had felt the blow and blocking it as lazily as he had done almost broke the bone.

He glanced at the staff. Something was up with it. It was a special type if he remembered correctly, able to act as a conductor for Magic. So the little girl had a few tricks up her sleeve. The man smiled. This was going to be fun.

While the man was distracted, Levy examined him, trying to work out who he was or what weaknesses she could exploit. He had a lot of piercings on him and had very long hair, spiky and black down to middle of his back.

He was tall too. Taller than her, and probably stronger too. That would make it hard if she tried again in a physical challenge. The next time he wouldn't underestimate the strength she had and would have time to block and counter attack.

That mark on his shoulder told her one thing though.

"Phantom Lord."

"Gi Hi Hi Hi. So the little Fairy worked it out."

Levy scowled at the man, trying to repress her anger. This was a man from the guild that wrecked the guild hall. No, worse than that. He used Iron Magic. And since he was still in Magnolia, it could only mean one thing.

This was the man who attacked the guild hall himself.

Okay, to hell with suppressing her anger. This man was going down.

She jumped away before the man could decide he should attack. Her right hand kept hold of the staff while the left began moving all of the digits on it. The man noticed the strange movements but before he could comment on it, words sprung to life.

The Phantom Lord Mage glanced around him, finding rings of words surrounding him on all sides in a variety of levels. The inner levels contained circles of fire words while the outer layers were all barrier related. The man only had time to think a few words.

Ah. That little bit-

The fire words detonated and the shield words activated, the intense amounts of flames being forced to occupy the small space where the man was standing. Levy wasn't done yet though.

Waving an arm across the air, the word for boulder appeared over the current Spell and she let it drop right as she disabled the shield words, the flames almost used up. The word smashed down and she could hear it hitting something and see part of the ground crack as the word scored a direct hit.

It was time to finish him off if he wasn't already unconscious. She brought up her staff as she walked over to the fallen Mage and swung it down.

She didn't expect for the man to still have enough strength to catch the staff, or for him to start eating it either.

"What…"

The man stood up, completely refreshed as he dusted himself off. "I have to admit, I didn't expect a Fairy to pack this much of a punch. I underestimated you. It won't happen again."

Levy jumped back as the man's fist turned to iron and extend towards her. That man had just eaten part of her staff. How? How could he do that? Normal people can't eat iron.

Normal people couldn't eat fire too her mind reminded her. If what she thought was correct, then this man had to be a Dragon Slayer.

Phantom Lord had a Dragon Slayer in the guild. Then that meant this man was…

Levy ducked under another swing, her staff blocking the next strike only for it to crack on impact. She tried to pull back and get time to launch another word but the man would no longer give her that time. He had seen how quickly she could create one with just a flick of her fingers and knew that her elaborate ones that would hurt him took too long when being pressured like this.

A sudden application of speed to her managed to get her right past him, striking him with the staff and sending him back a bit. That was enough. She let the staff fall from her hands as she ran through as many motions as she could with her fingers, the amount of Magic she was using dropping her very low.

It didn't matter right now. She needed a Spell to beat him, and she needed a high level one.

"Solid Script: Kikouou."

The Phantom Lord Mage stared at the sight of the Spell in a mix of amusement and awe. He was sure it wasn't a literal Phoenix and was instead the product of hundreds of words working in unison. It was impressive to see though.

A massive bird of flames towered over the city, lighting the skies for all to see. He could see that the girl was using almost everything in this strike. Unfortunately for her, he could see the flaws in it. It was incomplete, he could tell. The strain was shown on the girl's face and the Phoenix was having trouble maintaining its form. Already it had started to deteriorate and some of the flames were beginning to fade away.

That Spell could be truly dangerous, so he wasn't going to let her even use it. Faster than she could react, he opened his mouth and brought his hands up to it.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

A large tornado shot from the Dragon Slayer's mouth, hitting Levy before she could react in her strained state and send her crashing down to the ground. She could feel the pain from the attack and it felt like something was broken. She glanced weakly at her stomach to see some of the skin had been shredded from the attack. A roar of an Iron Dragon Slayer was definitely more dangerous than it looked. The iron in the attack made sure of it.

The man looked down at her, giving her a nod of acknowledgement as the Phoenix faded away, Levy's Magic no longer able to sustain it.

"Gajeel Redfox."

Levy knew what he was doing. It was a sign that he respected her enough to not only give her his name but to also want her own. He stood there impatiently, his foot tapping the ground as he waited.

"Levy McGarden."

Gajeel nodded at her as she slowly lost consciousness. She could feel the man pick her up and felt it when Jet and Droy landed on top of her on the man's shoulder.

"Sorry about this," she heard him mutter. "I don't like doing this to a strong opponent but you lot aren't the only ones loyal to your guild. And I have a duty to fulfil."

Gajeel slowly moved them over to the big tree in the park their fight had pulled them to. His iron was useful in securing them to it. That left one thing. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a marker and bringing it to the girl's stomach and drew his guild's mark there.

He had to hurry. That Phoenix would have attracted every curious eye to him in the city. He didn't want to be here when the guild found their defeated teammates. This would be the trigger for the war.

Protector Of The Fairies

All members of the Magic Council took a seat in their set chairs as the doors opened, each of the current Wizard Saints entering the room.

Juushirou glanced down at each one, counting the numbers silently. They were missing a few unfortunately, but this meeting had been called abruptly. Because of that, they were missing three of the four Gods of Ishgar. Only the man ranked fourth had managed to make it in time, and then it was only because his latest job that he had been doing had ended early.

Walrod Cken. Not many people even knew that he was an original and founding member of Fairy Tail, and he doubted many people would believe it too. The man had changed over his long life, his features more tree than human. It was likely a result of an overuse of Green Magic, or perhaps it was just an effect of the Magic prolonging his life. Whatever the case, he looked different now, his head more of a tree's trunk that branched out to hold leafy top.

Another member of the Wizard Saints that had shown up was Jura Neekis, a fairly new member who had a lot of potential. Jura was very respectful to him as the Chairman, yet he found himself missing the casual tone Ichigo would use with him. One was too casual, one too formal.

He glanced over to his right at the blue haired man sitting a few seats away. Siegrain had an amused look on his face, as if laughing at the situation. The man always seemed to find things amusing but he could be serious when he needed to be, and had proved his strength as well. He was not only a member of the Council but also a Wizard Saint, a great achievement for someone so young to be both.

The current leader of Fairy Tail was the last to appear, signs of bandages just hidden from view. The man had to travel quite far to get to this meeting, and Juushirou found himself amazed at how the old man could move as well as he did. After all, the reports had claimed that the Guild Master had all of his Magic sucked out of him by one of the Element Four, and it was meant to be a very unpleasant process.

He glanced towards where the current Wizard Saints were gathering and had to resist the urge to jump out of his seat in shock. There she was, her purple hair shifting slight from a sudden movement which had mocked him, along with that smile that said that she knew she had scared him. Yoruichi Shihouin, otherwise known by her nickname as the Goddess of Flash.

She was a Shinigami like himself but not a typical one either. People like her that appeared from time to time preferred not to use their Zanpaktou and instead focused on hand to hand combat or on Kidou. She was one who had taken Shunpo to a level unlike anyone he had ever seen, and that was why she had gained her nickname. And even without her Zanpaktou, she was a terrifying opponent. That ability she developed proved it.

There was only one other no show but that was okay. They had five at least, and that was enough for this meeting. Because of what Jose had done, it was now the majority.

Juushirou cleared his throat, the sound enough to call to order all the assembled Mages. "We are here today to discuss the actions of the dismissed Wizard Saint, Jose Porla. Are there any matters you wish to bring up before we start on today's agenda?"

No one said anything. They knew this was the only reason they had been called, and rightly so. It was one thing for a Mage to go rogue and cause problems. It was another when the problems were caused by a Wizard Saint, someone the Council had given that title to. It was even worse when the target was another Wizard Saint and the two fought.

He could already see Makarov looking nervous but the small man had no need to worry. He may have attacked in force first but the actions of Jose had been the cause for that war. And while wars between guilds were forbidden, exceptions could be made sometimes.

"You are all aware of the actions Jose took against Fairy Tail are you not?"

Walrod glanced towards Makarov suddenly, the man's eyes observing the Guild Master. It seemed even retired members still cared for their guild tremendously as the man looked more worried than angry at not hearing of this from Makarov.

"What's the big deal?" asked Yoruichi. "Makarov's stronger than Jose, even if he says that the two of them are equal. I heard the news and Jose went down easily. I'm surprised he even became a Wizard Saint."

Juushirou frowned. "A battle of Wizard Saints isn't a trivial matter. The sheer amount of damage the two could do is immense, and the only reason this was avoided was due to the use of Fairy Law.

Walrod hummed as he brought a hand to his chin. "Jose must have really threatened the guild if you went as far as to use Fairy Law on him. I assume you gave him the chance to back down?"

Makarov nodded. "To the count of three. He didn't hesitate in his approach once."

Jura gave Makarov a respectful bow of the head. "It was certainly wise of you Makarov. It stopped the destruction before it even happened."

"The old guy's got to have a trump card," said Yoruichi with a smirk. "I wonder if I could outrun it?"

Juushirou sighed. "This is not the time for you to test things like this, especially with dangerous Spells like that."

Siegrain laughed. "I don't know Chairman, it would be interesting to watch. The speed of the Goddess of Flash verse the light that strikes away darkness. I wonder if it would even affect her though if she got away in time."

"I forbid any actions of this kind. We do not want a repeat of the incident two years ago."

Everyone shivered slightly except for Yoruichi was kept on smiling. "I still won."

"And you caused us to have to remodel the entire structure of one of our branches in Fiore."

Yoruichi pouted. "Spoil sport."

Juushirou sighed again. "Now that that is out of the way, we can continue. Because of Jose's actions, he has been stripped of his title. Because of the situation, Makarov will be spared the repercussions this time, though I would strongly recommend trying to not get involved in any more situations like this. Then again, that is like telling a cat not to chase a mouse so I don't really hold my breath on this too much."

Juushirou clapped his hands. "Now then, because of Jose's removal, it has opened up a spot on the Wizard Saints for some new blood. We gained Jura only last year and he has already proved to be a tremendous choice."

Jura raised a hand slightly to catch the Chairman's attention. "I cannot accept such praise. I have only done what was asked of me to the best of my ability. There are far greater Mages here than myself."

"You give yourself too little credit Jura. Who was it that stopped that Dark Guild last week from slaughtering those innocent villagers? And it is only thanks to you that we have gained a lead on this so called 'Tower of Heaven'."

Juushirou looked back towards the others assembled. "Now then, it is time for us to decide on whom we shall bestow this title upon. Are there any recommendations?"

The Wizard Saints seemed to think about this for a moment.

"What about Erza?" asked Siegrain. "She has certainly become a capable Mage and would a wonderful addition. I'm sure she would be able to come up with some good insights on the matter of this 'Tower of Heaven' too."

Jura shook his head. "Erza is a capable Mage, this I have seen from an outsider's perspective, but I do not believe she is capable for something like this. She has the power but she would be reluctant to be on call to the Council at times. And while attendance is not always mandatory, she would prefer staying with her guild and sticking to guild matters rather than Council affairs."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, then that knocks a lot of people out of the window. Gildarts Clive, Mystogan, Laxus Dreyar. We're running out of candidates here."

"Is there a reason you said all Fairy Tail Mages just then?" asked Juushirou. He had an idea of why already.

"Isn't it obvious? No offence to all the guilds out there but they don't have S Class Mages like those ones. And while our choices don't have to be S Class, they need to have at least that much power. This isn't a title just anyone can be given after all."

Juushirou nodded. She was correct in her statement. Most of the current strongest in the guilds were coming from Fairy Tail, and the three choices there after Erza were not options. Gildarts was said to be a wanderer, Mystogan was barely seen, and Laxus was too dead set on Fairy Tail to focus on anything else. And they certainly couldn't use anyone from Phantom Lord at the moment after the war between the two guilds. They needed to be judged on their power and mindset by someone other than Jose in order to see if any were valid.

Was there anyone available in the Rune Knights? Isshin was a bit of a public figure to some but he was still a bit obscure, and the other generals were no different. So who was there left to pick from?

As if answering his question, Makarov slowly raised a hand, drawing all eyes towards him. The small Guild Master cleared his throat before looking at them all seriously.

"I have a suggestion."

Protector Of The Fairies

Well how did you find this chapter? Just a short interlude before we get back into the main plot.

Now the first part was one of the first scenes we know from Fairy Tail, with a few alterations. The supposed Ichigo was there because he wasn't declared dead yet hadn't been seen in three years. That leaves a nice little reputation up for grabs if you are willing to use it. And then we have the fight. Did you see the differences from the original? And if so, did you like the new version?

Part two was the scene where Shadow Gear was attacked. We never saw it so I made one myself. As you saw here, Levy did lose but she wasn't at her best either. And Gajeel is a strong opponent too. He even recognised her strength which is why he showed some remorse at his actions. He still did them but that's because he's loyal. As for Levy's abilities, that is the next evolution her Solid Script has taken. First was usage, then application. And now it is constructs. Of course it requires much more Magic and many more words for Spells like that to work because it needs a form created from many words. The fire trapped in a barrier was one example while Kikouou is the pinnacle of the art. And it will appear again in the future. Right now, it is still hard to use in battle as you saw.

Part three was my own creation. It makes sense the Magic Council would want a new Wizard Saint so they would want candidates to be suggested by current ones too. This let me introduce Yoruichi into the story. Not very important now but it will be later on. This lets you know she exists at least, and why wouldn't she be a Wizard Saint also? She was nicknames the Goddess of Flash just for her Shunpo.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Let me know what you think of current chapters in both Manga too. I saw the latest Fairy Tail one and it looks like we are about to see the Chairman from the old Magic Council. I'm not changing mine though to fit with that. Juushirou is here to stay.

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