Standing For Trial...?

Chapter 12 - Standing For Trial...?

"Come on, Ichigo, one drink." Cana said, holding up a fresh mug to the substitute's face.

The orange-haired teen turned around once more, directing his sights towards the mug that was just within his reach. He knew full well that the brown-haired wizard wasn't going to let this go anytime soon, especially if her orientation towards binge drinking was anything to go by. With that in mind, he released a heavy sigh of annoyance and slumped his shoulders momentarily, after which he chose to speak once more.

"Fine, one drink, that's it." Ichigo said sternly, taking the mug in his hands.

"Of course… just one drink…" Cana replied, hiding the smirk that came onto her lips with the mug that she herself drank from.

{Fairy Tail Guild Hall, The Next Morning…}

The resident Substitute Soul Reaper currently enjoyed the oh-so refreshing feeling of waking up with his eyes still closed. He instantly noticed several things, each of which didn't really give him a pleasant disposition at the moment. Firstly, he could feel the hard wood floors of the guildhall underneath his back, which told him exactly where he had slept.

Secondly, he couldn't really remember fully the events of the previous night. At the moment it was just bits and pieces, and this told him what exactly caused him to end up in this situation.

'I said one damn drink…' Ichigo thought in an annoyed fashion, releasing a groan of mild frustration.

"Uggg, my neck…" Ichigo uttered, picking his upper body up from the floor of the guildhall.

He looked around and saw numerous other people passed out, some of whom he had recognized from the previous night. However, he took distinct notice that many were currently not present, mainly Natsu, Lucy, Gray, as well as several of those he had met the previous night. Mirajane, however, was currently sleeping with her upper body laid out on the main bar while her younger brother lay passed out on one of the tables. The master himself was currently snoring from his position atop the railing of the second floor.

'Wait… why is my leg warm?' Ichigo wondered.

The feeling of warmth hadn't entirely registered to him at first, mostly because his mind was otherwise preoccupied, but the second after he did it confused him beyond belief. What was even more concerning was the fact that he heard a quiet, feminine groaning sound from his leg.

With widened eyes, he looked down to see the form of none other than the queen of the fairies holding on to his foot as if it was a body pillow. She had a peaceful smile on her face, and looked like she was sleeping soundly.

'Why the hell is she hugging my leg?!' Ichigo thought, blushing slightly since, to him at least, it was an embarrassing situation.

"Mmmm… strawberry… cheesecake…" Erza mumbled sleepily.

"It doesn't mean strawberry dammit!" Ichigo shouted, not at all caring if the redhead would be awakened as a result.

Somewhat to his surprise, Erza's reaction was really rather tame. Her eyes widened out of surprise as if she had been startled, but she didn't jump or yelp in the slightest. Upon waking she turned to look up towards Ichigo, obviously not taking note of her own position for the moment.

"You shouted, did something happen?" Erza asked in her usual robotic tone of voice.

"Yeah, I woke up to see you hugging my leg and mumbling something about strawberry cheesecake. So I will repeat this for the last time. My name doesn't mean strawberry, it means he who protects." Ichigo said as calmly as he was able, though he sincerely doubted this would be the 'last' time he had to say that.

The scarlet-haired woman looked at him confusedly for a split second, after which she took notice of what she was currently going. Almost immediately she released her hold on his leg, a slight blush covering her cheeks out of embarrassment for what she had unconsciously done. In an effort to apologize, she got up from her position on the ground and directed a deep bow towards the orange-haired teen.

"I see… then please allow me to apologize for my actions. You may stri…" Erza began, only to be cut off.

"Forget about it, it's not a big deal." Ichigo said, after which he himself got up from the floor and cracked his neck.

"Very well… then I should take my leave now." Erza replied before coming up from the bow.

A moment later she turned her back towards the substitute and made to leave the guildhall, an action that drastically confused the only other person who happened to be awake alongside her.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked confusedly.

Erza turned to look at him with a raised brow, clearly not understanding the confusion that the orange-haired Soul Reaper was exhibiting. Perhaps his lack of memory on what was about to occur was a result of spending too much time with a certain dragon slayer.

"My fight with Natsu is about to begin shortly. We agreed on the time last night during all of the commotion. You were there when it happened therefore I am confused as to why you seem to have forgotten." Erza explained.

"Yeah… I think I remember that happening." Ichigo thought aloud.

"Regardless, I am on my way towards the chosen location. You are welcome to accompany me if you wish." Erza offered in a friendly manner.

"Sure." Ichigo simply replied, knowing full well that he didn't have anything better to do at the moment. On top of that he did need to find Natsu since the dragon slayer had left him at the guildhall that night, and there was no point in going anywhere else if he already knew where he'd be.

{Streets of Magnolia...}

The city was currently buzzing with activity despite the fact that it was somewhat early in the morning. People were out shopping, children were already running around in what seemed to be a random manner, and even a few people were just taking a walk in the early morning sun.

"Is it really true that you are from another dimension as the others have said?" Erza questioned abruptly.

Thus far the two had walked in silence, though it wasn't exactly comfortable given that very clearly the scarlet-haired mage wanted to say something but was hesitating. It was actually a source of comfort to Ichigo that she had chosen to speak up otherwise the awkward silence would have just continued for the remainder of the distance they needed to travel.

"Yes, that's the truth. Out of curiosity, what did they say exactly?" Ichigo asked.

"Lucy informed me that you were somehow sucked into this world by the means of something called a 'restrictive current', if my memory serves me well. She also informed me that the master believes you are telling the truth, and that is all I honestly need to hear for me to believe you." Erza replied.

"Really?" Ichigo exclaimed, sounding confused.

"Well… I do have questions regarding the topic, but they can wait." Erza mused.

"Why not just ask them now? We've got some time until we get to where you're fighting Natsu, so you may as well." Ichigo reasoned.

"Very well… then I would like to ask if there is something similar to magic from where you come from. You give off an aura of energy whenever you fight, but it isn't like any type of magical energy I've felt before." Erza said.

"To answer your question, no… at least, not really. From where I come from there is something similar to magic energy but normal people don't really have it like they do in this world." Ichigo replied.

"I see. That explains why you were able to power the magic mobile. That is very interesting, but still it leaves me wondering how exactly your powers fit in if most do not have them." Erza stated.

"There are two realms of existence where I come from… well, technically three that I've been to at least. The first of these worlds is called the Soul Society, and that is where the concept of spiritual energy comes from. When people pass away, they go to this place in what is called a soul form. Every human has a soul, and when they die their soul is released. When that happens they become invisible to normal people because they are at a higher level of existence, and while they can still interact with normal humans, they cannot be seen or heard." Ichigo began.

"Then this 'soul form' is what you take on when you use your powers?" Erza reasoned.

"Yes. The other major world that exists is called the world of the living, and it is exactly what it sounds like. It is full of normal people that can't interact with the spiritual world. Normally most souls instantly travel to the Soul Society after death, but when they do not it becomes an issue for obvious reasons. When that happens, that's where Soul Reapers come into play. Those that have enough spiritual energy become Soul Reapers and their jobs are to primarily transport wayward souls to the Soul Society so that they don't mess up the world of the living." Ichigo continued.

"I could assume that a wayward soul, as you say, would be an issue." Erza thought aloud.

"Yeah, but they usually don't cause too many problems. The biggest worry is if their soul becomes corrupted and they turn into hollows. Soul Reapers are also responsible for purifying hollows and preventing them from attacking normal people." Ichigo stated.

"What exactly is a hollow? Is it like a demon?" Erza asked, the concept sounding somewhat similar.

"In a way, yes. They live in a world called Hueco Mundo and they feed on souls to both keep themselves alive and gain more power. They make their way to the world of the living and usually cause a lot of problems, but thankfully the strongest ones evolve so that they no longer need to consume souls to live, and as a result they usually stay quiet." Ichigo explained.

"That's convenient. However I am still confused about one thing. Where exactly do you lie in all of this?" Erza asked.

Thus far she had been told many, many things that only serviced to increase her curiosity about what his world was like. She did follow everything that was said, but she still didn't completely understand. The concept of souls was fascinating in and of itself, but the dynamic of how absolutely complicated the system seemed to be was mindboggling.

"Again, that's kind of complicated. You see, I was born with dormant Soul Reaper powers because my dad was a Soul Reaper and my mother was human. After awakening my powers I became something called a Substitute Soul Reaper, which is basically just a title for someone who has the duties of a Soul Reaper but still gets to live as a normal human being. On top of that, I don't report directly to the Soul Society itself, nor do I have to live there." Ichigo explained.

"Interesting, but since you are half-way between these two realms of existence, have you ever desired to be nothing more than a normal human?" Erza asked.

A moment later the orange-haired teen stopped dead in his tracks, which took a moment to register with his companion. The requip user then turned to see a slightly pained expression on Ichigo's face, something that instantly caused her to inwardly panic.

'I hope my question didn't cross some sort of line…' Erza thought, choosing to stay silent given that she didn't want to say anything to make matters worse.

To her, at least, the question didn't really seem like it was too personal or daring, but that really wasn't for her to decide given that she wasn't the one answering it. A moment later her worries were put to the back of her mind in favor of breaking her guild mate out of his trance.

"Ichigo…" Erza called out warily.

"What…? Oh, sorry about that. Your question just kind of took me by surprise." Ichigo began, rubbing the back of his head and dawning a small smile.

This caused Erza to release an inward sigh of relief. Given that she hadn't really known him for too long she was worried that asking each question she desired would come across as rude or intrusive and subsequently bother him. Luckily that didn't seem to be the case.

"To be honest though, I had at one point thought that it would be alright, even better in some regards, if I had lost my spirit energy and by extension my powers… but now I know that these abilities, this power that I have, they give me the ability to protect, to fight for what I value above all else. That isn't something I would trade for the world… figuratively speaking." Ichigo finally replied. There was already an established precedent after the incident with Aizen that he would, in fact, sacrifice his powers to save the world, or worlds in his case.

"I see… then I suppose we are much the same way. I value my powers since they allow me to protect Fairy Tail, and that is why I never stop trying to grow stronger, so that I can continue to fight against the enemies of our guild." Erza stated.

"I figured that's the type of person you were." Ichigo thought aloud.

"Pardon?" Erza asked, not hearing quite what was just said.

"Nothing, I was just thinking out loud." Ichigo replied, shrugging off his words given that he didn't think they really mattered.

'Still, the way that he gave his answer to my last question… it makes me believe that he speaks from experience. Perhaps that is why my question disturbed him.' Erza thought.

It made sense that bringing up memories of his powerless days would cause his mood to dampen, but despite the fact that this was still only her opinion she was in no way going to press even further on the issue. One day maybe she'd find out, but speculation would suffice for now.

"So do you have family back in your world?" Erza asked, deciding to change the subject but still keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, I do. I've got two younger sisters that're both around the same age. Then there's my dad… he's a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't change anything about him." Ichigo replied, smiling warmly at the memory of his family. Perhaps they may have been separated for the moment, but that didn't change the fact that just thinking of them brought him a small sense of joy.

"You said that your father was a Soul Reaper, does that mean that your sisters manifest similar abilities just as you do?" Erza asked, noticing that the topic of his family seemed to lighten him up a bit.

Realistically she was just trying to find out as much as she possibly could, given that this person was just by definition an enigma. How he acted, the abilities he had displayed, and yet at the same time he literally wasn't from this world. She'd be abnormal if she wasn't constantly intrigued by his actions and personality.

"My sisters are spiritually aware… at least I think they are. One of them definitely is, and the younger of the two is somewhat aware but still cannot see spirits just yet, however that could change in the future. My dad still actually has his powers, but to tell you the truth how he got to where he is now isn't a story I've asked him to tell." Ichigo replied.

The conversation seemed to be going good, however Erza's desire to continue it conflicted with her desire not to ask any questions that would put Ichigo in a foul mood an instant later.

"And what about your mother?" Erza asked, giving a sideways glance towards the orange-haired teen.

The scarlet-haired wizard almost winced at the pained look in his eyes and a genuine frown of sorrow marking his face. She had seen that look only a few times in her life, and not once had she ever been glad to see it, nor had it ever been a sign of good news to come. At the very least he didn't stop in his tracks this time, which didn't really make sense to her but in truth it didn't really matter.

'I can't believe I did this again!' Erza thought, mentally berating herself.

She knew full well that Ichigo didn't mention his mother in any previous instance, which clearly meant that he wasn't mentioning her because he had a reason. The worst of these scenarios was if she had passed away, and the redheaded knight hoped very much so that this wasn't the case.

"She… passed away when I was nine years old." Ichigo finally replied, causing his traveling companion to inwardly swear at his words.

"I am sorry that I asked such a thoughtless question. You may hit me for my penance if you wish." Erza offered, stopping in place and turning to face the substitute. Her words, however, caused said teen to release a tired sigh.

"Why is it that every time you think you do something wrong you asked to be hit?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

"It is my way of reprimanding myself for unsuitable behavior. However no one seems to ever contemplate doing so." Erza replied, ending in a confused tone. She actually couldn't quite recall a time when someone took her up on her offer to be struck.

"Who the hell would?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes, though it was far less awkward than prior. Even so, Erza still desired to continue speaking with Fairy Tail's latest member, if only so that they may get to know each other a little better given that they worked so well alongside Natsu, Gray, and Lucy on their previous mission.

"Is there anything you would like to ask me? I realize that you may have a few questions of your own." Erza stated.

"Maybe later, right now I think we're coming up on the fighting area." Ichigo pointed out.

A large crowd was gathering in a somewhat circular formation, at the center of which appeared to be none other than Natsu himself who awaited the coming battle with an eager grin. Everyone seemed rather lively, and with that in mind Erza wasted no time getting through the masses so that she could address her opponent and prepare for the fight.

Ichigo, however, opted to head to the forefront of the crowd, catching a glimpse of very much so blonde hair and a raven-haired man without a shirt. The combination of the two didn't really leave much thinking to do before he was able to discern who they were.

"Hey guys." Ichigo greeted as he walked up to the two wizards.

"Hey Ichigo, glad you could make it. I was a little worried you wouldn't show up after how much you had to drink last night." Gray stated in a friendly manner.

"Speaking of not showing up, where the hell are your clothes?" Ichigo asked in an agitated fashion.

"That's exactly what I said when he showed up in my house." Lucy growled out.

"I already told you, I was naked when I got there." Gray replied.

"Is that supposed to make it better?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.

"Anyway, Gray got me to come to this fight since he thought I would forget. To be honest I was a bit surprised to see that they were going through with it." Lucy said.

"If they value their manhood then they'd better go through with it." Elfman commented from a nearby position.

The three turned to look at their left to see the two Strauss siblings as well as Macao standing front and center to get a good view of the fight. That, however, confused Ichigo a good bit given that he had seen the three of them passed out just a short time ago.

"Erza's not a man…" Mira pointed out blankly.

"Yeah, but ya gotta admit she's pretty manly." Macao said jokingly, though his words rung true.

"How did the three of you get here…" Ichigo trailed off confusedly.

"I'm pretty sure they walked." Gray stated, prompting the orange-haired teen to glare at him.

"I meant how they got here before me and Erza. You three were passed out when we left." Ichigo clarified, taking away his glare from the ice make user as he did so.

"Maybe the two of you took the longer route? Natsu came into the guildhall and woke everyone up a little while ago." Mira replied.

"Back to this fight though, aren't you worried it would tear apart Fairy Tail's strongest team?" Lucy asked with slight concern in her voice.

"Strongest team, what are you talking about?" Gray asked amusedly.

"You, Natsu, and Erza are Fairy Tail's strongest wizards, right?" Lucy replied. Technically Ichigo wasn't one, but even so she knew him to be incredibly powerful.

"What idiot fed you that lie?" Gray scoffed.

An instant later the white-haired barmaid began to cry as a result of being thoroughly insulted. At this, Ichigo just glared at the raven-haired teen who currently held his hands up in an attempt to calm the wailing female.

"I didn't mean it like that Mira." Gray said, though his words failed to calm her down as he had hoped.

"Natsu and Gray are tough, I'll give them that, but they're not even close to being the strongest. There are wizards in Fairy Tail that are stronger than the two of them combined." Elfman stated matter-of-factly.

"Still it's a pretty safe bet that Erza's the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail." Levy commented as she along with her teammates decided to butt in on the conversation.

"Yeah, but if we're talking about the strongest male I'd say its Laxus or Mystogen." Eflman commented.

"Still, I'm interested to see how this fight turns out." Lucy stated, directing her vision back towards the fight. Nothing had happened as of yet, both of the two wizards just seemed to be staring each other down.

"I bet she'll mop the floor with him." Gray said, smirking at the prospect. Natsu may have been stronger than most, even if he would personally never say so, but his opponent was a practical monster and simply on a different level.

"Don't count Natsu out. They're both strong from what I can tell and anything can happen in a fight. All it takes is one slip up and all of a sudden Natsu could end up landing a good hit or two." Ichigo stated.

"True, but Erza is still a heck of a wizard." Mira commented.

Their conversation was interrupted at the sight of a large flash of light engulfing Erza's body. It seemed that she was about to dawn one of her various armors, though which it would be was difficult to tell.

When the transformation finally came full circle, her new appearance was revealed. It was made up of gauntlets that resembled dragon's limbs, and a breastplate and greaves, leaving her shoulders as well as her upper arms and thighs exposed. The armor itself was predominantly red but sported several orange and black parts that took on a shape similar to flames. Her hair also became tied in two separate, long pigtails that whose clips gave off the appearance of obsidian dragon horns. Finally, a sword made itself present in her right hand, having a crimson blade and appearing as if the steel was trying to manifest fire itself.

"That's Flame Empress Armor." Macao stated.

"Aw, come on Erza, at least give the kid a chance." Wakaba stated.

"Flame Empress Armor?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

"It's a special type of armor that reduces the effectiveness of fire-based attacks by roughly fifty percent. Against someone like Natsu it's the perfect weapon." Mira stated.

"Tch, that's not so bad. Actually its good news for me, cuz' now I can turn up the heat as much as I want!" Natsu exclaimed happily, lighting his fists up with flames.

"Round one, start." Makarov permitted, though once again the substitute had no idea where he came from.

Natsu charged Erza the instant after the match had started, bringing his fist back and preparing to strike first regardless of what his opponent would try to do in response. The two hadn't fought in some time, and now was his time to prove how much stronger he had gotten.

The scarlet-haired mage dodged the attack, after which she brought her sword swinging across the midsection of the dragon slayer. He, in turn, flipped his body before willing fire to form around his foot and cutting said foot across his opponents head in an attempt to take advantage of his position.

'Not bad.' Ichigo thought, observing Natsu's choice of counterattacks.

Each of the warriors continued to fight against one another, engaging each other several times in much the same pattern. One of them would mount an attack, after which the other would expertly dodge while simultaneously preparing to mount a counteroffensive.

The aggressor was traditionally Natsu, but Erza was always a step ahead and blocked the counterattack before the fight would come to a momentary standstill, after which Natsu would once again charge in or opt to use his fire dragon's roar, after which his opponent would dodge again and continuously rinse and repeat.

"See, it's a good fight eh?" Elfman mused.

"This fight sucks." Gray griped, obviously due to the fact that the dragon slayer had yet to get his ass handed to him.

Natsu leaped towards his opponent yet again, opting to deliver a punch to her abdomen in an effort to circumvent the armors effects. He didn't necessarily believe it would work, but nevertheless his offensive would allow him to force his fellow wizard to take action, which he could potentially take advantage of. Erza, on the other hand, stood her ground and was preparing to meet the attack head on.

The abrupt sounding of a gong, however, caused everyone present to freeze up, even the two combatants. A moment later a rather feminine voice called out, at first confusing those who had heard it.

"This fight is over." An amphibious individual stated matter-of-factly as it made its way through the crowd. It was dressed in a very odd fashion, and it looked even stranger, but nevertheless it appeared to have something important to say.

'What the hell is that thing?' Ichigo thought. It was true he had seen some very strange things in his lifetime, but never before had he seen a frog that was the size of a human with the same capabilities to speak.

"May I have your attention please, I have come here on behalf of the magic council." The apparent messenger began.

'This can't be good…' Ichigo thought amidst the quiet panicked murmurs of the crowd.

"As a result of the Eisenwald incident, two of your guild's members have been requested to attend a hearing where you will be judged in accordance with the laws of the land. Erza Scarlet, you are to come with me and stand trial." The messenger stated, her words shocking everyone present.

"She's gonna stand what?!" Natsu exclaimed.

The dragon slayer instantly fired up his fists and got directly in front of the scarlet-haired wizard, obviously desiring to prevent her from leaving. The essential frog-person, however, was obviously in no mood to deal with such trivial matters.

"Stand aside, Natsu Dragneel." It requested, holding up its hand as if to prepare some sort of spell.

"Like hell I will!" Natsu shouted defiantly.

"Very well…" The messenger trailed off.

A ball of energy formed in its hand, altering most present to what was about to happen. It didn't have the feel of a destructive attack, but even so it didn't give off the appearance of something that you'd want to be hit with.

"Someone catch me." Ichigo stated.

An instant later he grabbed his combat pass and leaped in front of his pink-haired comrade, doing so just in time to slice what he presumed to be an attack in half and subsequently causing it to fall harmlessly to his sides.

"That was fast…" Elfman commented.

"Can someone please help me with this?!" Lucy exclaimed, being the only one who had actually been in a position to catch the teen's body, and even then she had barely heard his words in time to act.

"That was a polymorphic spell you dolt, it's completely harmless." Makarov stated from the sidelines.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that?!" Ichigo shouted back in an annoyed manner.

"Orange hair, black clothing, a large cleaver-like sword… you must be Ichigo Kurosaki, am I correct?" The woman asked politely, allowing her hand to rest at her side once more.

"Yeah, that's me." Ichigo replied, sheathing his sword within the white cloth and placing it on his back once more.

"You are the second member of your guild whose presence was requested. The both of you come with me please." She requested.

"Can you tell me why it is I am being arrested first?" Ichigo asked, his eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed on the odd-looking amphibian's form.

"You are not being officially arrested. Erza Scarlet is the only one who has been criminally charged as a result of her recent actions. However you have still been requested to come in for questioning in order for the council to determine if you should share in her sentence." The messenger explained.

"You said requested, so what happens if I decide not to go?" Ichigo asked. If he could avoid a meeting with the magic council as well as a lengthy explanation that may or may not cause him to wind up in jail he most certainly would.

"Then perhaps the original sentence on Erza Scarlet will be more severe than was originally intended." The messenger replied ominously.

Ichigo scowled at this, mostly because he knew full well that this weird-looking frog thing had just successfully guaranteed he would attend the 'trial'. It was true that he didn't want to be dragged into it, but he wouldn't take the easy way out at the expense of someone else, that just wasn't who he was.

"Fine, I guess I have no issues tagging along." Ichigo said, his tone one of clear annoyance.

"Splendid, come with me please." She requested.

"Hang on, let me get my body." Ichigo stated blankly.

The messenger looked at him strangely but chose to say nothing, however that was not the choice of a certain dragon slayer who very clearly didn't want either of the two to head towards some kind of trail for something that the entire guild was likely responsible for.

"Hey, wait a minute, you two are actually going through with this?!" Natsu shouted.

"Calm down Natsu, this is the will of the council and we must abide. Stay here and don't do anything stupid." Erza said.

"But I…" Natsu began, only to be cut off.

"Listen to Erza, Natsu. We'll be fine, and the last thing we need is this getting worse than it already is." Ichigo stated as he walked out of the crowd, once again being within his body.

"Are you ready then? We mustn't keep the council waiting after all." The amphibian said.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Ichigo replied.

The three began to walk off, everyone else staying silent as they did so. Very clearly they all wanted to say something, but at the same time no one wanted to make anything worse. Even Natsu kept quiet as they headed off for what he thought to be the worst.

"You didn't have to do that for my sake. I would have been perfectly fine regardless of what your choice was." Erza stated abruptly, sounding somewhat annoyed that someone else had been brought into this when it could have technically been avoided. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, but even so she preferred to be the one making sacrifices for others, not the other way around.

"If I didn't go then it'd just create more trouble, so at least this way I'm creating less of it for the both of us." Ichigo replied.

"I see… then you have my thanks. Hopefully this won't be entirely terrible." Erza said.

"That makes two of us." Ichigo commented seriously.

{Train Heading Towards The Trial Location, Some Time Later…}

The council's messenger had opted to leave the two Fairy Tail members alone in their own booth in favor of allowing them some space. In actuality it likely had something to do with the fact that a certain orange-haired individual had openly threatened her for attempting to put handcuffs on Erza Scarlet. The boy certainly could be intimidating when he wanted to be and the amphibious individual had certainly learned that the hard way.

Currently, however, the two sat in silence, though it was comfortable. Each just looked out the window, gazing into the luscious forests that marked the path towards what was likely a trail with ulterior motives.

"You know, if you have any questions that you wish to ask me, now would be a good time." Erza pointed out, breaking the silence that had erupted since the time the substitute had threatened the envoy.

"I am pretty bored, so I guess now's as good a time as any." Ichigo reasoned, though his words were not very well received.

"I'm so glad that speaking to me is a good alternative to being bored." Erza said sarcastically, causing the orange-haired teen's eyes to widen given that he definitely didn't mean to offend his guild mate with his words.

"I didn't mean it like that at all." Ichigo stated in an attempt to assure the redheaded wizard that this was the case.

Erza just huffed in response, after which she turned to look out the window once more, her hands crossed underneath her breasts, or at least eh location where the armor covered them. Clearly she was offended in some way.

"Sorry… you may strike me down if you wish." Ichigo said sarcastically, if not mockingly.

The substitute sorely regretted doing so a moment later due to the fact that his words weren't taken as they were intended. Almost immediately after he finished his sentence an armored hand smacked him across his face, causing his cheek to go red as a result. He brought his hand up to cover the cheek, somewhat confused as to how or why this could happen, but he understood upon looking back at Erza and seeing her mood had once again returned to normal.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo exclaimed, rubbing the cheek as he did so.

His words, however, elicited a confused look from the redheaded knight, who very clearly didn't understand the outburst. Said wizard blinked several times in succession, after which she spoke.

"You asked me to…" Erza replied, as if the answer was far too obvious.

Ichigo opened his mouth to respond but the words died in his throat the second after he considered the words of his comrade. He couldn't exactly say that wasn't true, and getting into an argument over sarcasm was just a waste of time at this point.

"Fair enough…" Ichigo trailed off.

"I accept your apology and permit you to ask whatever questions you may have." Erza stated.

"Hm… I guess I'd have to ask you this first. What's it like being the strongest female in Fairy Tail?" Ichigo asked.

The substitute's question seemed to catch Erza off guard slightly, though he couldn't really tell why that was the case. Perhaps she was confused as to what he meant, or maybe she just never expected him to ask such a thing.

"I mean, everyone says that you're the strongest female by far. That kind of title has to come with some kind of pressure. Hell, I'd even go so far as to say that you're the one taking the fallout for damage done my me, Natsu, Gray, and the rest of our guild mates." Ichigo added.

After he had said this, Erza released a slight chuckle. Ichigo raised a brow at this, not entirely sure what would inspire humor out of what he had just said, and what's more the redheaded knight was giving him a small smile.

"What?" Ichigo asked confusedly.

"Oh nothing… just that a moment ago you said 'our' guild mates." Erza replied.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Ichigo mused, releasing a slight chuckle and smiling himself.

"I am rather glad that you seem to be at home in Fairy Tail. Even if we cannot replace your family, we are all happy to be there for you." Erza stated.

"Yeah, I'm glad I found a place like Fairy Tail. If enough time passes it might get too difficult to choose whether or not I should stay." Ichigo replied, ending on a slightly joking tone.

In truth he just deeply hoped that it wouldn't come down to that, but not addressing such a depressing thought was what he perceived as the best course of action for the moment.

"Yes, well to answer your previous question, I do not feel pressure from holding the tittle of strongest female. I find my role as the guild's guardian and role model far more stressful if I am being perfectly honest. It falls to me to bring peace and order to our family." Erza said.

"I admire the fact that you take on that responsibility… not many people would be able to do that. I think even I'd struggle with something like that, and you make it look easy." Ichigo stated honestly.

The scarlet-haired female blushed slightly at the compliment, mostly due to the fact that no one had ever really bothered to admire the fact that she intentionally acted the way she did. Actually most of her guild mates likely didn't realize that she was so strict and professional for their sakes. It was just nice for another person to acknowledge the effort she had put in.

"Thank you…" Erza replied, averting her eyes for a moment.

"Don't mention it." Ichigo said in a friendly manner.

"What about yourself? Were you bearing a similar burden in your world?" Erza questioned. She recalled the previous night when Cana had unveiled the image of a man carrying the weight of the world across his shoulders. That, coupled with what he had just said, told her that, perhaps, the orange-haired teen spoke from personal experience.

"I guess you could say that… I've felt the pressure of having everyone depending on me, but that just drives me to fight no matter what the cost. In fact, I've had that feeling more than once… but I'd rather not talk about that right now, especially since I doubt you'd believe me." Ichigo replied, chuckling slightly as he finished. He was under the impression that even by this world's standards some of the things he had done would seem impossible.

"Oh… then perhaps another time." Erza mused, sounding ever so slightly disappointed.

The redheaded Fairy Tail wizard did, in truth, want to hear about his experiences. However he very clearly didn't feel like talking about these instances therefore she would respect his wishes despite her own desires.

A comfortable silence erupted between the two once again, neither saying a word. Each once again looked out the window nearest to their booth, gazing at the woods that seemed to go on forever and ever.

"Ichigo…" Erza called out, being the first to speak in quite some time.

"Yeah, what is it?" Ichigo asked evenly.

"I gather that you are strong, am I right?" Erza reasoned, eliciting a nod from the orange-haired teen.

'Where is she going with this?' Ichigo wondered curiously. It wasn't every day that someone started off a conversation with asking if he was strong or not.

"If it isn't an inconvenience, would it be possible for the two of us to have a match against one another?" Erza asked in a slightly bashful tone.

"Is there a reason that you're asking me this now?" Ichigo questioned, not entirely understanding the timing. Simply because they weren't doing anything at the moment didn't necessarily dictate that any topic of conversation would come up.

"I merely wish to see your powers displayed against a worthy opponent." Erza replied. Perhaps it appeared a bit arrogant, but with the title of Fairy Tail's strongest female she did have the right to refer to herself as such.

"Oh, so you want me to fight Natsu?" Ichigo asked with a smirk, eliciting a low but audible growl from the scarlet-haired woman.

"You dare insinuate that I am an unworthy opponent?" Erza questioned in a tone that possessed a clear edge, though her words prompted the substitute to chuckle.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Erza asked dangerously, though her cheeks were slightly red due to a mild sense of embarrassment. Here she was trying to look threatening and he was openly laughing.

Fairy Tail's Titania did not have a very large ego, but she did have a great deal of pride and was not the type of person who enjoyed having her fighting abilities, which she had worked tirelessly to perfect, insulted.

"I was just kidding… of course I'll spar with you. All you have to do is name the time and place." Ichigo stated.

The look that the redheaded wizard was giving him told him instantly that his attempt at humor was once again not well received. This time however, she was directly glaring at him, her arms once again crossed under her breasts.

"I said I was just kidding…" Ichigo repeated.

At this, Erza's glare just deepened and he could swear her arms hugged her body tighter from their position underneath her chest. He made a mental note that Fairy Tail's strongest female was also one who was very direct in communicating her anger or frustration. He released a tired sigh, now knowing full well that he'd have to choose his words carefully whenever he spoke to the requip user in the future, or at least until they were better acquainted.

"Alright, I didn't mean what I said at all. You are a great fighter and I'm sorry if what I said offended you." Ichigo said honestly.

Despite the earnest nature of his words, the scarlet-haired woman just lessened her glare and raised a curious brow, as if to say she expected something else on top of his verbal apology. Ichigo, however, knew full well what that was, and thus he sighed once again, though this time out of frustration.

"Do you really want to hit me again?" Ichigo asked.

"And if I do?" Erza replied seriously.

The orange-haired teen adopted an expression of defeat a moment later, hanging his head slightly as if to say he was about to give in to the request of the female wizard across from him. At this, Erza prepared her hand, waiting only for the substitute to verbally confirm she had permission. However, no such thing came as Ichigo picked his head up and directed a smirk towards the redhead before making to speak.

"Sorry, not gonna happen." Ichigo said.

"You did that on purpose!" Erza exclaimed childishly.

"Maybe I did." Ichigo replied amusedly, eliciting a huff from his scarlet-haired companion. It seemed that she could take a joke after all...