Chapter 15: Interesting Developments 1/2

BLEACH is owned by Tite Kubo. Fairytail is owned by Hiro Mashima. I own nothing.

Special thanks to Greatkingrat88 for writing once again.

Here we go again, with yet ANOTHER really long chapter. Im very happy that we've gotten this far. On another note, we are only a few chapters away from reaching cannon! Huzzah! I bet it will take us 3 more chapters. 4 MAX.

As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please, feel free to leave a review. :)

Few things pleased Aizen Sousuke the way a well-executed, complex and carefully considered plan falling into place did. But simple plans were enjoyable, too- you had to eat rice every now and then to remind yourself what made a luxurious sushi so delicious.

But today, it seemed like a mischievous cat had stolen his dish, fish, rice, soy and all.

It had supposed to be a simply executed plan- call in a hollow attack using his connections in Hueco Mundo, let them instill proper terror in the students of his choosing, and swoop in at the last second like a merciful angel, a saviour of outstanding character and greatness. From there on, he would have the undying loyalty of the students with particular potential, all the better to run the divisions under his control as they advanced through the ranks. There wasn't much that was impressive, a critical voice in his head reminded him, about manipulating impressionable children- but with the obnoxious mask he had to wear every day, to hide his true self, he would take entertainment where he found it. As he had stepped out of the portal, he had watched with some amusement as the first two students died, as the brave, brazen and utterly foolish Abarai had attempted to organize a wholly futile defense…

Then, like a bull in a china shop, another angel had swooped in and promptly stolen his thunder, hacking through the hollows with a berserker's tenacity and rage, slaughtering all that didn't flee, in less than two minutes. If Aizen had let himself feel anything like annoyance at his plans being foiled, however inadvertently, it would soon have been replaced with curiosity- yes, curiosity, and interest. Not everything could be accounted for, he knew; the world was a vast place full of X factors- like Erza Scarlet. As he descended towards the building, Ichimaru in tow, the piece fell in place. Scarlet was incapable of the distanced professionalism of a sincerely competent teacher, and had formed deep attachments to several students. Given her past, paranoia would have caused her to come, despite the unlikeliness of an incident- people, he decided, would be so much easier to control if they weren't always so irrational.

But then again, that wouldn't be very entertaining.

Erza was still a crying, sobbing mess, but eventually she composed herself enough to let go of Momo and Renji. It wasn't a very dignified display after what she had just done- but looking cool couldn't have been further from her mind. Renji looked a little awkward, still shocked, Momo just looked… at ease. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose on her shihakusho sleeve, and took deep breaths as she looked over her students. Their faces were a glory to behold, wonder, relief, happiness all around…

Then she sensed it, another signature approaching fast. It was familiar. She looked up, and saw him- Aizen Sousuke, followed by his vice-captain. He landed, with a serious look on his face.

"S-sir," she mumbled, saluting awkwardly, still feeling shaken to her core.

"There was a distress call. I happened to be the closest, and I departed immediately," he said, sounding almost stern, "but it seems my help was not needed. Thank goodness you got here in time, Scarlet." He smiled warmly, and Erza's heart soared. "You appear to be out of uniform, though."

"Yes,I was off duty, an'," she murmured. "I was just, I had a gut feeling, and'…"

"She kicked their asses!" Renji cheered. "We'd all be dead without her!"

There was a cheer from the other students, affirming his words.

"Not all of you, it seems." Aizen said, pointing to the far end of the building's roof, where the corpse of two students lay, students Erza herself had taught, still in a pool of blood.

"Oh god- I couldn't, I was too late-" Erza started to choke up, breathing raggedly, but Aizen put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Because of you, no more died." He said warmly. "This is a tragedy, but what you have done here is nothing short of heroic. Because of you, all of these young men and women will go on living, serving the Gotei, having lives to make something of. Without your arrival, who knows how many more would have died? Please, Erza, I urge you-" he leaned in close, looking her in the eyes- "think not of the good you failed to do, but the good you actually did."

"R-right, right," Erza said, nodding weakly.

"I will personally be commending you for valour to your captain," he said firmly. He then turned to the others. "Students, you have been through a terrible ordeal, but I must ask that four of you help carry the bodies of these two back. They deserve a burial, at least. All of you will be coming with me, to report to fourth division for a medical check-up. Understood?"

There was a chorus of affirmatives, and Erza noticed that there was something about him, an ease of confidence and authority, that made him in control of the situation with just a few words. He was a natural born leader.

"That goes for you too, miss Scarlet," Aizen said, looking back at her. "I think you will need a visit to vice-captain Kotetsu's office."

"…yes." Erza mumbled. This would be a hell of a story to tell…

The next day, after some emergency therapy with Isane, and a good night's sleep, Erza was back on duty. She hadn't so much as finished breakfast before she received a summons, though, a simple note that, in the typical manner of her captain, read:

'Get your ass over to my office posthaste, Scarlet! Sod patrols and all that crap, we got stuff to talk about! Oh, and Aizen'll be there.'

Crude and to the point, just like he always had been. He was a good man, the kind of man who'd have fit right into Fairy Tail- which, in Erza's book, was a badge of honour if there ever was one. So, after just a simple cup of tea and a few crackers, Erza hurried out. Best not to keep him waiting. She wasn't sure what would come, what he'd say, but hopefully it'd be good- Captain Aizen had promised to vouch for her, after all…

Any concern she might have had about a lecture, a rebuke, any criticism, was quickly swept aside as she stepped into her captain's office. The man was in good spirits, talking excitedly to Aizen himself.

"Like that! And that!" He cheered, jabbing with his fists at some imagined enemies. "Tell me again, Sousuke- how'd my gal do? Kicking ass, stickin' it to 'em…" Enthusiastically, he jabbed at the air some more.

"I only caught the faintest glimpse of the tumult," Aizen said diplomatically, a bemused smile on his face, "but I can assure you she fought with vigour and valour."

"Enough with the big words!" Isshin said cheerily. "Tell me how it really happened!"

"Ask her yourself," Aizen said, pointing to Erza, who had stood awkwardly silent as her captain spoke.

"Scarlet!" He exclaimed. Other men might have been embarrassed, caught in such a moment of boyish cheer, but Shiba Isshin didn't even flinch. He walked up to her, firmly taking his hand in hers, shaking it firmly with both hands. "You did some real good out there- I wish I coulda seen it myself!" he exclaimed, still shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Striking down on a buncha hollows, saving the maiden fair- well, the hapless students, but you can't have everything- you did a real great thing out there, the kind any shinigami should- you're a pride to the whole profession, Scarlet!"

"Th-thanks, sir-" Erza managed, feeling a little overwhelmed, and somewhat dizzy from the very eager handshake. Noticing her discomfort, Aizen said,

"You may want to let go of her hand, Shiba-taichou. It wouldn't do for you to tear it off after she fought so bravely with it."

"Oh. Right." Isshin said, letting go of her hand. Not content just yet, he patted Erza on the back- well, 'patted' in the most understated sense of the word; he nearly knocked the wind out of her with one, two, three blows that might have knocked out lesser shinigami. "Real stellar work- I ain't had so much fun hearing about a subordinate for years now!"

"It- it's nothing, sir," Erza mumbled. "I just uh, had a feeling, and I did whatever any shinigami would have done…"

It was a lame, generic line, but Erza didn't really feel like saying I went berserk and then nearly had a mental breakdown. If only she had been smooth, like Aizen, knowing what to say and when…

"Nothing, my rear!" Isshin exclaimed. "That's the biggest act of heroism I seen since- since- well, since Kaien took a hit for his captain, an' went on to slaughter the adjuchas what did it, with only one arm to use! Now there's a story-"

"An absolutely fascinating tale, I'm sure," Aizen cut in, "but let's stay focused, shall we?"

"Really, sir," Erza mumbled awkwardly, "I just wanted to protect them, and I did. It's not that special- I wouldn't be me if I didn't help my friends."

"Modest, too!" Isshin bellowed. "See this one, Aizen? Knew it when I first laid eyes on her- a real looker, but more importantly, she got as much heart as she got strength of arm!"

Some people would have basked in such praise, felt it well earned, appropriate. Erza just felt uncomfortable- not out of modesty so much as it was… odd. She wasn't used to this at all, and her mind was preoccupied- with the two she couldn't save, with the friends lost so long ago… that she had gotten there in time, in her mind, hadn't been a special or heroic deed- it had just been necessary, nothing more or less. If she had failed, she was sure she would have gone mad. Deep down, this praise felt… undeserved.

As if sensing her discomfort, Aizen cut in,

"What Shiba-taichou is meaning to get to, although he tarries in his excitement, is that your talents by far outstrip your rank. Notions of heroics aside, you slaughtered three high class Huge Hollows, all known to the Gotei by name as vicious shinigami killers. There will be bounty money coming your way for that- but more importantly, you've demonstrated with all clarity that you are strong and competent enough that you do not belong at a petty ninth seat." Seeing the look on her face, he added, "This is not flattery, Scarlet. It is my assessment as a professional Captain of the Gotei Thirteen that your skill and power is, well, what I just said it was. You may have done as you did solely out of a desire to protect, but whether you are comfortable with the role of a hero or not, fact remains that it is obvious to all that you have grown in strength and skill."

"Damn well seconded!" Isshin cheered.

"…thanks." Erza mumbled. "I just- I guess I just… did my best…"

"Aye, you put your back into it, pushed hard and never stopped, and got stronger over time, just like a man- well, like a shinigami should!" Said Isshin, nodding enthusiastically.

"Which is why I would like to offer you a promotion as third seat of my squad five, effective immediately." Aizen said calmly.

"…what?" Erza mumbled.

"We was talkin' before you came," Isshin said, "stiff bugger that he is, he insisted on talkin' business before we got to the fun stuff- but yeah, I agreed that if you want it, you can transfer right away. Don't get me wrong," he said, waving his hands dismissively, "I don't wanna see ya go, we're real proud of ya- but Aizen here's better at the whole mentoring shtick, and you two got a history. You can go real far under him, and… we all want what's best for you." His last sentence sounded a bit more somber, Erza thought.

"I… I don't know what to say." She mumbled. She'd done a lot of mumbling, she realized.

"Say yes." Aizen said warmly. "You'll get the position you deserve- and I have faith that one day, you will be a captain yourself. You have great potential, and it would be my honour to play a part in cultivating it."

"…can I think about it?" She asked.

"Sure, sure," Isshin said dismissively, "but it's prob'ly best if you make up yer mind before the day's over. Less paperwork, and all that."

Erza swallowed. Why would she hesitate like this? It had always been her intention to advance through the ranks. This… this was perfect, wasn't it? To rise up in rank, to be mentored by her old teacher, one of the people she trusted most? Not a goof like Shiba-taichou, or a monster like Kenpachi- a decent, professional man. It was everything she had wanted.

"I'll do it." She said, firmly and loudly, balling her fists. Enough mumbling.

"Right on!" Isshin said. "Hold on, I got the papers here somewhere…"

"Splendid." Aizen said, smiling happily at her. "I look forward to working with you, Erza."

This had been sprung on her on a hard, emotional time in her life, still in the throes of nearly losing some of her most precious people- but unexpected or not, hard or not, she was not going to let such a great opportunity slide. It was hers to seize, if she wanted to move forward- and where else was there to move, but forward? For Erza Scarlet, there was no place else to go.

The papers were signed, and within just hours, her transfer was complete. She said her goodbyes to Lisanna- nothing dramatic; it wasn't as if she wouldn't see her often anyhow. Lisanna had congratulated her, and after a warm hug, Erza was on her merry way to division five, carrying her personal belongings in a cardboard box. And once at her new division, she got all of the things promised- the third seat, along with a better, bigger room, a bigger pay check, greater responsibilities…

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, three years passed. Day after day of hard work passed, always starting with an early rise and a meager breakfast, always ending with a tired Erza falling into bed, sleeping like a rock. It was in no way unfair, nor as exhaustive as her first days of teaching, and she did get free time to herself including one free day each week. There were the perks of being a top ranked officer too, official and unofficial- people showed you respect, gave you free tea and cookies at the shops, and rich men and women would often approach you with ingratiating smiles asking for a favour in this and that matter. Some of it was harmless, and some of it was pure bribery, she knew. Some, she knew, took the bribes without thinking twice. Erza herself rejected each offer without a second thought.

With all this, with hard work and perks, she was content. She had enough direct work to keep her stimulated- she was officially too important for petty chores like patrolling, but on the other hand there was more paperwork…

On the whole, she was in a good place.

Today in particular was special. She stood at the gates of division five, standing tall and firm, but couldn't help but smile a little. Through the years, she had still snuck off to teach her kids- she still thought of her students like that- what she could about sword-fighting, whenever they had the time. But time had passed, and suddenly they had all graduated. And today, she would be welcoming four of them to her division- Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi, Hinamori Momo and Abarai Renji, all of them applying for division five immediately. She would be welcoming them, along with a dozen or so more recruits, and though she kept a stern front, she felt… excited inside.

After waiting for what was officially two forevers, she could see them walking down the street, all of them with that look on them she knew so well- of a rookie, somebody at once excited and nervous, confident and humbled, thrown into a world they thought they were ready for but just quite weren't.

"Recruits!" She bellowed once they were within earshot. "Over here- right this way!"

The new recruits flocked to her, and after giving them all a quick, stern speech about responsibility and how not-responsible people tended to have a disagreement with her fists, she led them to the barracks, signed all of their papers, and gave them the accommodations and assigned duties she was supposed to; all formal, all according to schedule. After a strict frown, and an order to get settled and report to their commanding officer- thankfully not one of her duties- the recruits scuttled away, nervous and eager.

Except four of them, who stayed for just a minute in the dank light in the barracks, face to face with Erza. She kept a stern face, looking down on them with judgment, but not one of them, she knew, took it seriously. When Momo cracked a smile, and quickly walked forward to give Erza a hug, the façade broke instantly, and Erza smiled happily.

"Look at you all," she said softly, "all grown up. And it happened so fast!"

"We ain't little chickens no more, sensei," Renji said cockily, grin on his face. He had got tattoos on his face, she noticed- a couple lines just above his eyes.

"I'm not your sensei anymore, Renji," Erza corrected him.

"Well, I sure don't feel right callin' you 'sir', or somethin' like that." Said Renji.

"You may well have to. And if it's just me… well, call me Erza. Or if you want, just 'sis', I suppose."

"I like the sound of that." Momo said softly, as she broke away from the hug. "A big sister, protecting us from the monsters."

"Dunno about you, but I'd rather learn to protect myself," Hisagi said, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well said," Erza said, nodding, "and you will be soldiers from now on. You will start doing the lowest chores, just like I did- you'll go on endless patrols, you'll clean latrines, you'll do kitchen duty, you'll do laundry, you'll do everything the division needs you to."

"Ah, the glamour of shinigami life…" Kira mumbled sarcastically.

"You start at the bottom, all of you," Erza said firmly, "because you can't appreciate anything without earning it first. I've faith in all of you- you will go far, but to climb high you must start at the lowest point. Is that understood?"

"Listen to you, all official…" Renji grumbled. "All right, scrubbing floors an' doing laundry it is, I guess. I'd argue, but I learned that's not an option with you, sens- sis."

"You're a good learner, Renji," Erza said, smiling grimly, "even though it took loads of pain for the lessons to sink in."

"Don't I know it." Renji said, flexing his muscles as if recalling one injury after another.

"Well, I can't be standing here coddling you all day," she said, making a motion to leave, "you all know who to report to, and…" she stopped herself.

"There's just one thing."

"What, Erza?" Momo asked.

"It's… a bit of a, how do I put it…" Erza said hesitantly. "Basically, stay away from Ichimaru Gin." She had worked with the man every now and then these last three years, got to know what he was like, and… he was a creep. To put it mildly. He was lean, lanky, with silver grey hair and eyes that seemed constantly shut, and always with a mean-spirited smile on his face. Something seemed wrong about him. He never did anything that was unambiguously questionable, but… he reeked of cruelty, his laid-back attitude showing hints of sadism every now and then. Completely cold, as if lacking any sort of empathy… he was like a serpent, Erza thought.

"Isn't he the vice-captain?" Kira said. "One of the best officers in the division?"

"Just… trust me on this, all right?" Erza said. "I've got a sense for these things, and that man… he's bad news all around. Stay away from him, as much as you can."

"Sure, sure," Renji said. "We got it. Now come on guys, duty's waitin'- boring patrols, and whatnot."

Momo gave her a hesitant look, and then the four of them went on their way, and Erza went on hers.

Her new position meant some interesting things, like high-level hollow hunts, and some less interesting things, like running errands from division to division making courtesy calls about interdivisional co-operations, schedules, having papers signed this and that way…

Everyone knew the road to success was paved with failure, with blood, sweat and tears, with pain and endurance, with the perseverance to overcome whatever life threw your way. What most people didn't know was that success also came with bureaucracy, whose lifeblood was paperwork- to no end. In this particular instance, it was an errand to twelfth division, to sign for a hollow captured by their division and subsequently handed to the research division. Along with her was Isane, on a similar errand herself- somebody had been injured, and of course there was some paper that needed signing for that, too.

As she walked there, it occurred to her that she had never visited the place before- well, except the one time with Isane, but she had hardly seen anything of the division itself. She had never had cause to- her duties had had her spend much time in the field, and divisions did not frequently make joint operations; few situations called for deploying soldiers on that big of a scale. She'd met a few twelvers here and there, and they seemed all right to her. It was a place of learning, she knew, the home of the one and only science organization in the Gotei, as well as an extensive data bank and library.

Before long, the two of them were inside the division, heading towards the information desk. They were in luck; the captain himself stood there, angrily lecturing the receptionist over something. She hadn't met the man before; he was an elusive sort who didn't often stray outside his lab. She had heard he was a ruthless sort, very no-nonsense, but didn't know much else. As they approached, she noticed his strange appearance- skin painted white, with black linings- painted, or naturally coloured that way?

"No, you imbecile!" The captain sneered at the receptionist, his voice shrill enough to almost be a shriek. "The specimens were supposed to have come through half an hour ago, and it's only your incompetence keeping me from discovering all their secrets! Should I take you down to the labs, strap you down and dissect you instead?"

The receptionist seemed too frightened to answer, looking to be on the verge of tears, so the captain continued his litany.

"Honestly, the incompetence on you all! How am I expected to conduct my research when I am surrounded by fools?"

"Mayuri-sama," said a tall woman standing by his side, who Erza hadn't noticed until now. She was pretty, she noticed- black, straight hair hanging down in a neat cut, pale, well sculpted legs, and a calm, almost detached expression on her face.

"What?" He snarled, turning at her. "What could you add, you pathetic ingrate?"

"I believe this is a simple miscommunication, sir," the woman said, taking the abuse without flinching, "I have been told that the specimens have been delivered to section three, lab four. We simply haven't received word of it until thirty-two minutes ago."

"Thirty-two minutes?" Captain Kurotsuchi spat. "It has been here for over half an hour, and you haven't told me yet?!"

"You specifically ordered me to keep quiet as you left your lab, sir," the woman said.

"Nemu, you useless bitch!" He spat, and slapped her across the face. "I graciously let you live as my assistant, and this is how you repay me? Undermining my efforts?" As he screamed the words out, he hit her, again and again, until finally Nemu staggered back, leaned against a wall. Erza felt her fists balling, anger rising in her chest- but she could feel an arm on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Don't." Isane said. "You can't stop him. Nothing good will come of stepping up here."

"But he- but he's-" Erza said, fury preventing her from forming a proper sentence, as the captain hit, insulted, struck his assistant, over and over, not stopping when he drew blood, not stopping when she collapsed, sitting down against the wall as he hit her, again and again.

"You can't," Isane said, her grip tightening as Erza tried taking a step forward, "because he is a captain, and he has a right to run his division however he wants. If we step in here, then we're the ones breaking the rules- not him. And that would be if he didn't decide to kill us for insulting him."

"The man is a monster!" Erza hissed between her teeth.

"He is." Isane hissed back, "but there's nothing we can do. Not right now."

Erza's nails dug into her palms, hard enough to draw blood, as she watched the captain hit her, his hand finally slowing down out of exertion. He spat at the woman, then turned to face them, as if noticing them only now.

"Oh," he said, casually fixing his hat, "what the devil do you two want?" He looked at his hands, and his coat, and mumbled angrily, "Damn it, now I got blood on my clothes… what a useless bitch. Well, spit it out, the two of you!"

Erza said nothing, just barely managing to keep her mouth shut, just barely managing to not hit him with all the strength she had. Quickly, Isane spoke up:

"We are here to sign for some specimens- and an injured member from your division. Please, sir, if you would take just a moment?"

"You're from four, aren't you?" He said, looking at them like they were vermin. "Fine, fine- hand me the damn papers. I have research to conduct, you plebeians."

Papers were signed, all while Erza's willpower was tested to their limits against herself, and finally, the captain turned to leave. He stopped by his assistant, and gave her a malicious look.

"Pick yourself up and be down in the lab in ten minutes, or I am dismantling you."

"Yes… sir." Nemu managed, looking frighteningly accepting. Did she take this all the time, was she this used to it?

The moment the captain turned around, Isane rushed over to Nemu, pulling out a medical kit from her pocket, treating her injuries with a feverish quickness.

"So you do care," Erza spat, finally managing to get a word out, taking several deep breaths to calm herself."

"That's not fair." Isane said, dabbing a cut on Nemu's face with alcohol. "Here, come help me."

"Yeah… sorry." Erza mumbled, walking over. It had been an unkind thing to say, but this… was a different experience, one she hadn't been at all prepared for.

"Are you okay?" Isane said to Nemu, not seeming to care much about the insult. "Does it hurt much? Anywhere specific?"

"I… need to go help… Mayuri-sama…" Nemu mumbled, clumsily attempting to stand.

"Out of the question." Isane said firmly. Sighing, remembering who she was dealing with, she said, "At least let me treat you, all right? You're no use, bleeding from your face."

Nemu said nothing, but sat back against the wall, letting Isane treat her. Soon- too soon, Erza knew- she got up, just barely treated for the injuries she had just taken.

"She is, ah, a mod soul," Isane mumbled. "He made her. She is his 'daughter'. He legally owns her. Beats her whenever he gets angry." She had a haunted look on her face. "It's… not right."

"Damn straight!" Erza growled. "How can people just… let this go on? How can nobody protest?"

"He's a captain." Isane said simply. "Practically, there's no position more powerful than that in all of the soul society. And if you hold that, without having any sense of good…" she trailed off, but the meaning was clear.

"Let's get out of here," Erza mumbled, pulling Isane by the arm. Nodding weakly, she followed her out.

As the two of them left, Erza thought she could hear, very faintly, a distorted sound from below, sounding like… a scream. She hoped it was her imagination.

Startling as some parts of Gotei life were- like the revelation that one of its highest officers was an abusive monster- there was still much good to be found. Her pillar of strength was her friends- Lisanna, Rangiku, Isane, Renji, Momo… they were what kept her going.

Which was why, now in her room after hours, sitting on her bed, she was paying the likes of Mayuri no mind, because Momo sat across her, an excited smile on her face.

"Well, show it then," Erza said, smiling back. "It's not every day you achieve shikai, is it?"

"T-technically I did it the day before yesterday," Momo stuttered, teeming with a subdued eagerness, so typical to the shy little Momo Erza had first gotten to know, "but- but I had to try it again and again, just to make sure it wouldn't go away."

Erza giggled. "You know, they usually don't change their mind."

"I know, I know!" Momo said fussily. "But… I had to make sure. You know?"

"I know," Erza said, nodding. "Go on then."

Slowly and carefully, taking a deep breath, Momo pulled her zanpakutou out of its sheath, cautiously holding it straight up, grasping the hilt with both hands. She took a second deep breath, and said, a bit nervously,

"Snap, Tobiume!"

There was a flare of red light, and the hilt straightened, and from each side a second and third blade jutted out, one lower down on the blade, and one higher up. It looked more like a tuning fork than a sword- but then again, you couldn't judge by appearance alone. With a curious look, Erza said,

"Well, that's brilliant. What can it do?"

"It's sort of a kido weapon," Momo said, licking her lips nervously, "I can channel energy through it. Right now, all I can do is make things explode."

As if to accentuate her words, a jolt of red energy overflowed from the blade's tip, shooting into the roof with a small bang, leaving a small crater. Momo gave a shriek, and instantly sealed her sword again.

"That was not supposed to happen!" She said, holding a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry- I should have better control, I really should!"

"It's all right," Erza said, looking at the hole in her roof. There was a red spark of residual energy there, dying out the moment she looked at it. "It's good. You've got a strong blade. You just need to practice with it."

"S-Sure," Momo mumbled. "I should be able to do some really interesting things with this… I just don't know much yet."

"It's the same for everyone." Erza said, reaching for her own Tetsu no Tama. "I had to try for a very long time before this one right here let me unlock its power. And if I don't live up to his standards, he'll take it away- he's a bit of a grump." She could feel the disapproval of her sword's spirit in her head, but she paid it no mind. She stepped off the bed, and slowly unsheathed the blade in its full length, a good deal bigger than Momo's- or for that part, most zanpakutou.

"Let me show you." Erza said.

"Sure!" Momo said, nodding happily.

"Strike," she said, her tone assertive, and the sword glowed faintly in response. Nothing much else seemed to happen, though.

"Um…" Momo said, after a pause long enough that it was almost awkward.

"Dual." Erza said, and in both her hands appeared two long swords, with red hilts, but not looking extraordinary aside from that.

"In battle, I can call these out easily, just with a thought. But here… it's a bit less compliant," Erza explained. "Back when I was alive, I had magic- I could switch around between any weapon or armour in my arsenal. I used to think my shikai would work the same way."

"But it doesn't?" Momo said, looking curious.

"No," said Erza, shaking her head, "I have a fixed number of weapons, and… well, each one looks like it's an aspect of combat, generated by my emotions. It was… subtler than I first expected. I only recently realized."

"And these two swords?"

"They are Balance," Erza said, weighing them in her hands, moving them around a little. "Using two swords at once takes extremely good hand-to-eye co-ordination- you have to do twice as much, and do it right all the time. As such, it's a sword combination used only by very skilled swordsmen. Because it requires the user to be very dexterous, they represent a good balance." She smiled, and let the weapons dissipate. "To be honest, they aren't very strong, because I'm not the calmest of swordspeople- I'm passionate, I live in the moment… if I could learn to distance myself, be more stoic, they would be much stronger."

The weapon changed, now taking the form of a bearded axe, with a very long hilt.

"Breaker." Erza said simple, running her thumb down the axe's blade. "They represent determination, the willpower to crush your enemy no matter what. It hits slow, but hard, and crushes through the toughest defense when it does. This one… is strong. But it's limited."

Again it changed, now turning into a great spear and a big, round shield, inscribed with the regalia of Fairy Tail itself.

"Sentinel." Said Erza. "Born of my will to help others, to protect them from harm, it represents the aspect of defense."

She let it dissipate, and again the weapon changed, now taking the form of a black, jagged blade, a gigantic, thick greatsword that left a big dent in the floor as it materialized.

"Render." Erza mumbled.

"It looks… different."

"It is." Erza said, looking intently at the weapon. "It's the strongest one. It's… the aspect of chaos. Of going berserk, wanting nothing more than to fight, fight, fight, to hit your enemy and never stop…"

Ponderously, she let her eyes wander up and down the sword. "It's born from my hate, my anger, my sadness. It's the strongest, because… I had some… rough times before I reached my shikai. It's grown and changed since I first got it."

"It looks scary." Momo said quietly.

"It is." Erza agreed, letting the blade vanish, and her zanpakutou return to its sealed form. "But sometimes, I have to use it. I… want to make weapons like Dual or Sentinel the strongest, not Render. When I can do that, I think I will be truly strong."

"I'm sure you can do it." Momo said, and nodded.

"Sorry- I shouldn't have brought this out." Erza said apologetically. "Why don't we go out, celebrate your new sword?"

"Sure." Momo said, smiling slightly.