Laws Of The Land...

Chapter 13 - Laws Of The Land...

"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.

{Location of the Trial: Outside the Courtroom, Some Time Later…}

"This is the room. A member of the council will greet you momentarily, please wait here until then." The amphibian stated before walking off down the opposite hall.

Ichigo and Erza had a more or less pleasant journey up until this point, but then again the only significant thing about their little trip was the trial that they hadn't even gotten into just yet.

"Somehow I just get the feeling this trial isn't going to be something I enjoy." Ichigo thought aloud.

"I just want to get this over and done with." Erza said.

"Without saying hello to me? Now I'm hurt." A smug-sounding voice called out from down the hall.

Both of the Fairy Tail members turned to see the approaching form of a white-clad man with blue hair and an odd tattoo around his left eye. Ichigo didn't think anything of it at first, but upon seeing a panicked expression courtesy of Erza he very quickly realized that this person had met her acquaintance before, and it was very likely not a pleasant encounter.

"Siegrain…" Erza growled out as the man continued to walk closer, her previously shocked expression shifting into an angry glare and an accompanying scowl.

"How are you, Erza?" Siegrain asked with a cocky smirk gracing his features, though his words didn't elicit a response from the redheaded wizard.

"Just who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked in a tone possessing a slight edge. The blue-haired councilmen chuckled before shifting his sights towards the substitute, a pleasant look still on his features.

"Now where are my manners? My name is Siegrain and I am a member of the magic council. It is a pleasure to meet you." Siegrain said, extending his hand.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo replied before shaking the hand that was offered to him.

The gesture didn't really mean anything to the substitute, but Erza was incredibly surprised. Not because it had happened, but because the hand Ichigo shook wasn't a projection.

"Are you and the council members actually present?" Erza asked in a surprised voice.

It was very rare for the members of the Magic Council to travel outside of Era. What's more, for them to do so just for a simple trial and a questioning was even more outlandish and strange.

"Why yes we are, my dear Erza. However you have nothing to worry about. Your punishment is merely a slap on the wrist that allows the council to forward blame to you and simultaneously punish Fairy Tail for the destruction they often cause. You see, it really is a win-win." Siegrain replied.

"Then why are you here in person?" Erza questioned sternly, prompting the blue-haired man to chuckle.

"Oh, well that's simple enough to explain… your friend displayed some interesting abilities, mainly that he is capable of destroying a very powerful piece of dark magic that was deemed indestructible up until this point. There is also the fact that the council has no record of him existing prior to his appearance in Hargeon just a few short days ago. He is only here because we desire to ask him a few questions, and we wanted to be here in person to do so." Siegrain explained.

'That means that this was never about Erza in the first place…' Ichigo thought. It was, however, good news that the scarlet-haired woman wasn't going to be punished severely. Otherwise he'd feel pretty bad about contributing towards the collateral damage tab that their guild was currently running up.

"Now then, why don't you head in, Ichigo, the council is very eager to speak with you." Siegrain suggested.

The orange-haired teen glanced at the council member skeptically for a moment, but shortly thereafter he headed into the courtroom and made his way down the center aisle.

"Why is it that you were the one who greeted us here?" Erza asked in a dangerous tone.

"I thought that to be rather obvious… I requested to be the one to do so. As to why I did so, that is an entirely different matter I wished to discuss with you…" Siegrain trailed off.

The white-clad man walked up to Erza and cupped her chin, bringing his head closer to hers and staring directly into her eyes with a small smirk present on his lips. To her credit, Erza didn't phase in the slightest, she simply kept the same serious expression she had since the councilmen had appeared.

"Don't let a word slip about you know what… for both of our sakes." Siegrain stated.

The esteemed Wizard Saint pulled back from his close proximity a moment later, after which he too walked down the aisle to join his colleagues. Erza, however, stayed behind in favor of gathering her thoughts, though she did glare rather heavily at the retreating form of the blue-haired man.

'What is your angle here Siegrain?' Erza wondered. Perhaps it was her own suspicion, but she had a hunch that he was the reason this trial was called in the first place, which by extension was a terrible thing for Ichigo.

To herself it didn't matter, but there was no telling what the Magic Council would do if and when they found out the orange-haired teen was quite literally not of this world.

{Inside the Courtroom...}

"You took a bit of time…" Ichigo commented as the redheaded requip user took a seat directly next to him.

"I was just thinking a bit to myself, I apologize if I kept you waiting." Erza replied calmly. The very last thing she wanted to do was worry her latest comrade with her own paranoid delusions.

"This trial will now come to order. Before we move on to the punishment of Erza Scarlet, we would ask that Ichigo Kurosaki be questioned by the council." Org stated authoritatively.

As requested, Ichigo got up from his seat and moved to the chair that was located directly in front of the judge's seats that the council members sat on. He, however, had no intention of cooperating if he didn't need to. At this point he knew that threatening Erza was just a bluff to get him to come here of his own free will.

"Before you windbags start, I've got something to say. I'm not obligated to answer any of your questions. I'm here because I want to be, not because I have to be." Ichigo stated sternly.

"You dare to show such disrespect in the presence of the council?!" Org shouted angrily.

"I think that was the point behind what I just said." Ichigo replied uncaringly.

The elderly bearded council member growled openly at the defiance the teen was showing, however his anger serviced to amuse several others. Erza herself had to fight back a small chuckle given that she hadn't expected anyone to have the audacity to say something like that to a member of the Magic Council. Apart from that, the expression on Org's face had been absolutely priceless.

"If that is your attitude then perhaps we could have the rest of the conversation while you sit in a prison cell." Org threatened, believing such a tactic would work very well.

"Oh yeah, that'll make me want to answer your questions." Ichigo commented sarcastically, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Threats only went so far if the person you used them on was stubborn enough or smart enough to see through them. Incidentally he happened to be a mix of both.

"My, my, such spirit. I like this one." Ultear stated, a smirk gracing her features as she spoke.

The dark-haired triple agent was of the opinion that the council itself didn't really need to be present for this dreary little trial, even if it was examining an unknown mage that exhibited a remarkable ability. During the trip to the designated location all she could do was inwardly complain about how boring it was likely to be, but perhaps it did hold the ability to provide some form of entertainment after all.

"You're rather impudent for someone in your position. Perhaps we can come to an agreement of some kind?" Michello reasoned.

"Why would I have a reason to…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off.

The doors to the courtroom bust open a moment later, instantly catching the attention of everyone else present. When they did turn to see what had occurred, no one could really believe what they saw.

At the doorway stood two individuals, or one individual and what appeared to be a flying cat. None other than Natsu Dragneel stood with a determined expression on his face with his hair dyed orange and sporting what seemed like a black maid's outfit. Happy, who currently flew by his side, carried a small wooden sword and wore a small wig which had the exact same color as Erza's hair.

'What the hell is he doing?!' Ichigo and Erza wondered similarly, obviously seeing that this wouldn't end well at all.

"You geezers lookin' for Ichigo Kurosaki?! That's me, who the hell wants to know?!" Natsu shouted in an annoyed voice.

"Yeah, and I'm Erza Scarlet, queen of the fairies. Fear me!" Happy exclaimed.

"I do not sound like that!" Erza and Ichigo shouted in unison, tick marks popping out of their foreheads to illustrate their rage. Neither was sure which was worse, the terrible impressions or the fact that the council was guaranteed to be upset about this.

"What are you two doing here?!" The accused mages once again shouted simultaneously.

"Saving you two from stuff that's probably my fault to begin with." Natsu answered as if his reason for being here was obvious.

"Get out of here Natsu, we were doing fine! At worse they were going to ask me a few questions and give Erza a slap on the wrist!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Aw, but I already went to the trouble of using a hair dying spell to make my hair orange like yours." Natsu whined.

"First of all, this is my natural hair color, and second of all, what you just did was incredibly stupid!" Ichigo stated.

"Really?" Erza, Natsu, and several members of the council asked curiously.

"Yes really… and how the hell is my hair color relevant in the first place?!" Ichigo shouted.

"I don't know. It's definitely a more interesting topic than this dreary trial." Ultear commented, smirking to herself.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Org shouted angrily, obviously not wanting to deal with anymore of Fairy Tail's shenanigans.

"Sir, I apologize for my comrade. Please forgive his stupidity." Erza pleaded, getting up from her position and addressing the council.

"Guards, take these fools away to the jail cells at once!" Org ordered, his opinion being one that several other council members shared.

A total of four guards from across the room began to head towards the dragon slayer, obviously desiring to obey the orders that were given to them. However, no such thing would occur as a certain councilmen happened to have a much more pleasant alternative.

"Now wait a moment, perhaps we are being too hasty. I may have a better solution." Siegrain offered.

"I for one am all ears." Ultear stated.

"Be quick about it." Org said, at which point the guards halted their advance in favor of hearing just exactly what their orders would be.

"Perhaps if our young friend here will decide to cooperate we can show leniency to the other three and allow them to leave immediately." Siegrain suggested.

The members of the magic council began to think on the suggestion of their colleague, obviously taking into account their need to get information and the clear and current unwillingness of their mystery mage to cooperate. At worse they allowed Natsu Dragneel and his cat to go free as if they had never appeared and give a small fine to Erza Scarlet, which would have been in line with what the council had intended to do in the first place.

"Would you agree to this, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Org asked, taking note that no objections were raised to the blue-haired man's suggestion.

"If you allow them to go free, then yes." Ichigo replied.

"Hey wait, I was…" Natsu began, only to be silenced upon the orange-haired teen turning and directing a stern glare towards him.

'Crap, he seems really mad.' Natsu thought. He then turned his sights towards Erza, at which point all color nearly drained from his skin.

The pink-haired dragon slayer was many things, but hopelessly stupid wasn't one of them. Perhaps he was a little bit dimwitted in certain regards, but even so he still understood when his actions had angered a certain individual he very sorely never wanted to anger.

"Bye!" Natsu exclaimed, immediately running out of the room given that the council seemed to allow him to do so.

"Ms. Scarlet, you may leave now. Your sentence is a paltry fine that you may pay at your leisure." Yajima stated.

"Thank you, but I wish to stay for the questioning of my comrade if you would allow me to do so." Erza requested in a polite manner.

"I feel a migraine coming on…" Org sighed out, rubbing his temples as he spoke. Today was certainly a day when his skills in putting up with negotiations were being put to the test.

"It really doesn't matter very much to us. Would you be opposed to this?" Ultear asked, directing her question towards the orange-haired teen that was still seated front and center before the councilmen.

"That's fine with me." Ichigo replied.

"Then I suppose there's your answer." Siegrain mused.

The scarlet-haired woman took her seat once more, choosing to play the part of an observer for the time being. In truth she just wanted to stay to ensure that nothing suspicious occurred. On top of that, Ichigo would perhaps need support if he were to make the claim that he was from another world. If he were to say that, that was one thing, but a prominent mage giving testimony on top of vouching for one of the ten wizard saints on the matter would definitely cause them to consider it a possibility.

"Now then, we will move on to the reason for your being here in the first place." Michello stated.

"Yes… Ms. Milkovich, if you would be so kind as to provide the eye witness account." Org requested.

The dark purple-haired woman nodded in confirmation, after which she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out what appeared to be a small crystal-like object. Erza knew it to be a type of Lacrima crystal, but Ichigo hadn't the slightest clue as to what it was.

A moment later the crystal floated towards the area halfway between Ichigo and the council members, after which it gave off an ethereal glow and began to work its magic, so to speak.

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

"That is a Memory Lacrima, which allows for the memories of a certain individual to be presented in a very clear way." Ultear explained.

Before his, and everyone else's, eyes a circular projection took form. It appeared to be from a random perspective, but the image itself was very distinctive. In the projection, Ichigo stood front and center with his zanpakuto aimed at none other than the great demon flute Lullaby, his light blue spiritual energy shooting into the sky as he stared down the beast.

The name of the attack was heard by all, after which a wave of blue energy covered everything, effectively ending the pseudo-video without showing the end result. However it was very likely that everyone present knew what that was therefore it didn't really need to be said. After the projection had finished, the Lacrima deactivated and floated back to its owner, giving the floor to the council members once more.

"That was quite an attack." Siegrain commented with a small smirk present on his face.

"Yes, it was. Speaking of which, where is your sword?" Ultear asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

Moreover, the clothing that he had worn in the projection wasn't what he was currently wearing. It was possible that he opted to dawn different attire in battle, but that wasn't entirely efficient, and the only person who possessed the ability to do an essential costume change during battle was sitting in their very presence, that person being none other than Erza Scarlet.

"First of all, it's not just a sword, it's called a zanpakuto. Secondly, it's with me even as we speak right now." Ichigo replied, though his words angered several of those present.

"What kind of fools do you take us for?" Org asked in an annoyed tone.

In response, the orange-haired teen simply released a tired sigh, after which he flashed his wooden combat pass and grabbed it with his left hand. His soul form ejected from his body a moment later, allowing his human vessel to fall back into the chair directly behind him.

Each of the council members was quite astonished upon seeing this. His black attire and the large sword, or zanpakuto as he had called it, were currently on his person. At the same time however, this wasn't any form of magic they had seen. It couldn't have been an illusion, and creating a body as a vessel for some other form was presumably impossible.

"As you can see, I was being completely serious." Ichigo replied.

"Getting back on track… it has been determined that whatever magic you seem to be capable of using has the ability to destroy powerful black magic that has been deemed indestructible for centuries." Siegrain said, being the first to speak in the wake of the substitute's unique technique.

"What of it?" Ichigo asked blankly.

"Normally this wouldn't be a problem. In fact it is actually quite fortunate you were able to do so. However, the fact remains that we have no record of your existence before the incident in which Bora of Prominence was apprehended by the royal army." Yajima replied.

"Yes, and this seems suspect because a wizard capable of such power would likely not be able to remain hidden for so long." Michello added.

"It wouldn't really be that long… I'm only a bit over seventeen." Ichigo pointed out.

"Hmm, you look older." Ultear commented, folding her hands and sitting her chin atop them in a bored manner.

"I don't know, do I?" Ichigo shot back uncaringly, eliciting a smirk from the dark purple-haired woman.

"Appearances aside, many mages do start their careers off at a young age, and this is often the case with the strong ones. This begs the question of where you are from. Are you perhaps from an island or far way land outside of our jurisdiction?" Belno mused.

For a time, the orange-haired teen was silent, inwardly releasing a frustrated groan given that this was the point where he knew things would get difficult. Lying to them wasn't a good option, especially since so many things about him were classified as unique for this world, which meant he truly had no alternative.

"No, I'm not from anywhere near here… in fact I'm not even from this dimension. The reason that your only record of me is that one incident is because that was when I got sucked into this world. I don't know how that happened, but all the same here I am." Ichigo replied.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and the stern expression coupled with the teen's honest tone threw off the council members even more so. However, when the words finally did register, the predominant expressions each exhibited were one's of disbelief.

"Do you take us for fools?!" Org shouted. Perhaps he had been incorrect about the sword the young man sported, but this was simply so ludicrous that it had to be an attempt at mocking the council.

"Every time you've asked me that so far, I've proved you wrong. Let me make this easier for you to understand, I am telling the truth." Ichigo stated.

The look in his eyes and the deadly serious tone gave off the impression that he wasn't lying, and each of the members of the Magic Council could discern this. However just the same this was just too outlandish to be true. Perhaps he was insane, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Erza, from her position, just held her breath and hoped, but then again that was the best she could do at the moment given that the councilmen were still inwardly debating what they thought of Ichigo's words.

"Perhaps I can offer a way to see if this is true." Ultear volunteered.

The dark-haired woman received a nod from most others present in response, mostly because they were at a loss for words but also because they didn't have any suggestions. At this point, anything would have been helpful.

"I would advise that we use a Memory Lacrima. That should suffice." Ultear stated.

"That would be the best way to confirm if he is telling the truth." Siegrain said in agreement.

"Very well, have him use the Memory Lacrima and this will be over and done with." Org reasoned.

"If this is built on the premise that I'm not from this world then how the hell do you expect me to know how to use a Memory Lacrima?" Ichigo questioned, raising a good point.

"I am capable of showing him how to use the crystal." Erza volunteered.

"No, it was my suggestion therefore I believe it best that I be the one to guide him." Ultear stated, getting up from her seat as she did so.

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

"Enough. Ms. Milkovitch will ensure he uses the crystal properly. Now, if you please…" Org said, directing a glance towards the pale-skinned councilwoman.

Ultear nodded before she began to walk towards the stand in which the orange-haired teen stood. When she had reached him she held out a Memory Lacrima crystal within her palm.

"Please take this in your hand." Ultear requested.

"Alright…" Ichigo said, after which he did as he was asked.

"Now simply focus your magical energy into the Lacrima and I will guide you through the rest." Ultear stated.

"Yeah, that might be a problem. I don't have magic energy, and I don't think the type energy I have should be put into the crystal." Ichigo replied, his mind drifting back to the instance in which he tried to power the Magic Mobile.

That most certainly didn't end well, and he fully expected the crystal to explode if he tried to do something like that again. His words, however, just brought out a tired sigh from the councilwoman.

"All the same, I'd like for you to try." Ultear said.

A moment later Ichigo nodded, after which he once again did as he was requested. He began to direct his spiritual energy into the green Lacrima crystal. However, just as he had predicted, the crystal exploded into a thousand tiny shards after just a few seconds of exposure to his spiritual energy. It also likely had a good bit to do with the fact that he wasn't particularly adept at controlling his spiritual pressure, but even so he had been right in assuming the end result.

The reactions of the Magic Council, on the other hand, was a consensus of shock given that the amount of magical energy one would have to put into a Lacrima to cause it to overload was substantial. The reason the things were used in the first place was due to their uncanny ability to resist large amounts of magical energy, making them usable by most every wizard in existence.

"Well, that may be the first time I've ever seen that happen." Ultear commented, staring down at the broken shards of the green crystal that currently took their places by her feet.

"The type of power I have seems to be stronger than magical energy. The same thing sort of happened when I tried to power a Magic Mobile." Ichigo stated.

"I can vouch for that." Erza said, trying to lend all the support she was able.

"Plus I suck at controlling my spiritual energy. I'm better at it now that I was when I first got my powers, but still it isn't one of my strong suits." Ichigo added.

"Spiritual energy?" Ultear asked, a mix of confusion and curiosity in her voice.

"If we can somehow get a Memory Lacrima to work, I'll explain everything." Ichigo replied, eliciting a nod from the young councilwoman.

There truly wasn't any point in explaining how his abilities worked if they weren't going to believe him in the first place. At least this way he could avoid any unneeded explanations.

"Very well, but if you're not capable of using your energy then perhaps allowing my energy to flow through you will work by extension." Ultear offered.

"Okay, how would you do that?" Ichigo questioned with a raised brow.

"Simple… but to start off I will need you to get up and stand directly in front of me." Ultear stated.

In response the resident Substitute Soul Reaper did as he was asked, though he had his apprehension about this. He came up to the dark-haired woman shortly thereafter, standing nearly arm's length away from her. During the meantime, the dark purple-haired woman had placed another Memory Lacrima directly in front of them on the ground in preparation of the pseudo-ritual.

"Now please take my hands." Ultear requested, extending her own so as to meet him half way, so to speak.

Once again Ichigo did as he was told, though for some time nothing happened. Perhaps he was being too ambitious in his thoughts that the effects would be instantaneous, but even so patience was not his cardinal virtue.

"Is this really supposed to do anything?" Ichigo asked skeptically, prompting the councilwoman to chuckle as a result.

"If the two participants are not familiar with one another or simply do not trust each other than it takes more time." Ultear stated.

"Alright…" Ichigo trailed off. He supposed that made some sense, and, even if it didn't, he really couldn't do much about the speed of the practical ritual.

"While normally I don't like it when men stare at my body, I would prefer if you redirect that serious look of yours. You appear as if you're trying to stare into my mind… that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable." Ultear said playfully.

"Should you have a reason to be?" Ichigo asked, eliciting a chuckle from the curvaceous woman.

"Oh you're good…" Ultear said with an amused smirk.

'I question the need for such close proximity in this instance.' Erza thought, not at all trusting the dark-haired woman given that her personality seemed to be somewhat playful. That was especially not a good thing with how easily Ichigo could be taken off guard by any actions of that sort. It seemed to be one of his only weak points.

"Seriously though, do something to relax yourself. If it would help, perhaps I could move even closer…" Ultear offered.

After she spoke she did in fact choose to move, though it wasn't necessarily closer towards the orange-haired teen. Rather, she chose raise her feet off the ground just enough to cause her breasts to bounce. As one would expect, Ichigo's face was soon covered in a slight blush, which caused Ultear to smirk and a few members of the council to chuckle at his reaction.

"No thanks." Ichigo replied, trying his best to sound composed.

"What about a kiss?" Ultear offered, her smirk now forming into a devilish grin.

The substitute blushed more so, after which he averted his eyes out of embarrassment. Once again this added to the amusement of the woman directly at his front, who giggled girlishly as a result.

'I really shouldn't have been so pessimistic about this trial. I'm actually enjoying this a little bit.' Ultear thought amusedly as she stared at the bashful expression on the orange-haired teen's face.

"Ehem…" Erza coughed out, obviously doing so on purpose.

Ichigo's blush only increased as a result of realizing that other people were actually in the room at the moment, but his embarrassment was stifled upon the Lacrima's activation sequence beginning.

The green Lacrima floated into the air between the two, forming the same type of projection that had already been witnessed. Everyone in the room stared directly into the practical video, nothing but pure curiosity driving their actions.

Firstly, the image of an unknown land with large buildings made of what seemed to be concrete took place in the Lacrima's projection. People moved around streets in outlandish clothes, though a majority of the space was taken up by a black-covered version of a street that had something akin to Magic Mobile's on them. They certainly weren't any version of the vehicle that anyone present, save for Ichigo obviously, had seen.

'Now this is interesting…' Siegrain thought, giving his absolute attention to the images.

Shortly after the first image had finished its time on the projection, another took its place. This one, however, was completely different. It was a vast place with buildings constructed in a completely different style. Both men and women ran around in black robes with swords strapped to their sides within a sheath.

There appeared to be many division members, and in some instances as the repeated images cycled through you could see men in white overcoats or men and women with a badge on their arm that designated them as lieutenants.

'Those must be Soul Reapers…' Erza thought, staring in awe at the projections.

The next image was that of what appeared to be a rather straightforward passageway. Its wall were incredibly strange, in fact they seemed to ooze, and its tone was rather dark, but at the very end was a shimmering light that appeared to be a portal to another realm of existence. In fact, you could make out the image of a blue sky from the angle they saw it from.

'A world between worlds?!' Yajima wondered. Very clearly that place was a realm in itself, otherwise it wouldn't have the appearance that it did. Perhaps the other images already serviced to prove that the boy had been telling the truth, but if his suspicions were correct then he knew perfectly well that the teen's presence was a distinct possibility, or rather reality as it stood.

Yet another place then came into the cycle of projections, and once again it was not a place that anyone in their universe had likely ever seen before. It was a barren wasteland covered by the darkness of night and large amounts of sand. The only evidence of life were dead-looking trees that sprouted from the ground. Even more outstanding was the seemingly eternal moon that shined in the sky.

'I was completely wrong… this trial has already been far from boring.' Ultear thought, inwardly smirking to herself due to the fact that her outward expression couldn't shift from the way it was. She was simply too captivated by the projections to do anything but stare into the images the Memory Lacrima provided.

The next projection, however, disturbed each of the councilmen, the guards, and even Erza due to the terrifying nature. A series of beasts appeared as fleeting images, each having different appearances but also having two common traits. Each had a white mask covering its face, and a large hole somewhere on its body. They were demonic in appearance, but they were no demons that any of the councilmen had heard of.

A bone-chilling roar sounded off from one of the beasts, a tall black creature with an odd-looking white mask and a hole at the center of its body. It stood at a massive height, and it was a little more than intimidating.

The Memory Lacrima cut off after that final image though it still continued to float in the air between the two. Most present just stayed silent, though it was more with a sense of awe backing the lack of speaking.

"Satisfied?" Ichigo asked, breaking everyone present out of their daze.

"Indeed… that was most interesting." Siegrain commented.

"Simply incredible…" Org muttered in a shocked voice.

"I would be inclined to agree." Ultear stated.

"If that is all that you needed to see, perhaps the means for transferring magic energy is no longer required." Erza stated.

In her mind she was simply trying to save Ichigo from any further embarrassment. At this point she wouldn't put it past the pale-skinned woman to grab his hands and bury them in her breasts just to see what his reaction would be.

"How do I break the link, can I just let go of your hands?" Ichigo asked.

"No… first you must close your eyes." Ultear instructed.

The substitute did as he was asked a moment later, though he did so against his better judgment. He just knew by how this woman had acted thus far that this wasn't going to have anything to do with stopping the flow of magical energy. At the same time, he couldn't in good consciousness just separate their hands. For all he knew that would cause an explosion or something else horrific, which may very well have occurred with his luck.

"…Now lean forward and relax your jaw." Ultear continued.

Ichigo's eyes shot wide open and a blush came onto his cheeks, which caused the time mage to chuckle wholeheartedly at the priceless look on his face. He had thought that Cana was bad, but this woman didn't even know him and yet she was already acting as 'friendly' as Yoruichi whenever she decided to mess with him, which was very often whenever the two were in close proximity.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"You're such a killjoy…" Ultear pouted.

"Ultear, if you've had your fun, please allow the boy to take his seat." Org requested.

"Very well…" Ultear sighed out, after which she just separated their hands and made to walk back to her seat.

"Hey, don't you want the Lacrima thing?" Ichigo asked, bending down and picking up the green crystal so that he could subsequently give it back to its owner.

"Oh, think of that as a gift from me." Ultear replied cheerfully.

Ichigo just went back to his own seat a moment later, after which he reentered his body and a brief moment of silence took over. It seemed that no one was quite sure what to say at this point, and rightfully so.

"So what is your world like?" Ultear questioned in a curious tone.

"We have no need for knowing such things. It has been proven that this man is somehow not from our world, and since this is the case we need to know his intentions… specifically if he is a threat or not." Org stated matter-of-factly, though his words inwardly angered the curious time mage.

"My intent is to just stay put until my friends make an attempt to find me in this world. I may not be able to get back from here, but I'm sure they'll find a way. As to if I am a threat or not, no, I'd say I'm not. The only people I would be a threat to are those that choose to harm Fairy Tail and its members." Ichigo replied.

The members of the council stared at the orange-haired teen as he got up from his seated position and made to leave. No one said a word as he headed towards the door, Erza Scarlet choosing to follow his lead given that no objection sounded off.

As the two neared the door, the guards glanced at Master Org, given that the chairman was possibly the quietest person on the council and hadn't said a word the entire time. When the elderly wizard shook his head, they knew that they weren't meant to stop the Fairy Tail wizard, and thus they just allowed them to pass.

"Does anyone believe a specific course of action needs to be taken?" Org asked, looking to his colleagues for any opinions, dissenting or otherwise.

"I suggest we allow him to stay here as long as he wishes. As long as he doesn't cause too much trouble and his actions do not conflict with our directive he should not pose a threat." Siegrain reasoned.

"That is true. Moreover he has already done us a good service by destroying the Lullaby." Yajima stated.

"I tend to agree that in this case inaction is better suited to this situation… very well, shall we adjourn?" Org suggested.

The members of the council left their respective benches, each having their own thoughts on what had just happened. Each of them definitely believed it was interesting, but the reasons for thinking so varied from person to person.

'I can already tell he is going to be so much fun.' Ultear thought, smirking evilly as she exited the courtroom. She knew full well that a new piece had just entered the game.

{Train Heading Back to Magnolia, Some Time Later…}

The two Fairy Tail members sat in silence, much as they had on the headings towards the location of the trial. This time, however, there was one very distinct difference.

Ichigo was currently the only one taking in the large amounts of forests that lined the route back to Magnolia, but it was less for the scenic view and more for the purposes of looking anywhere but at Erza.

The redheaded requip user was glaring heavily at the substitute, almost appearing as if she was using her eyes as weapons whose sole purpose was to give discomfort to whomever they were directed at. Her disposition as well was very unnerving, mainly due to the way she crossed her arms under her breasts in a manner that only went further to illustrate her anger.

'This probably has to do with something I said back in the courtroom, or maybe how I acted…' Ichigo thought.

The orange-haired teen directed another glance towards his traveling companion, taking note that her expression didn't waver in the slightest. In fact, she just appeared to act even angrier than prior when she saw his eyes being directed at her once again.

"Are you alright? You seem really agitated." Ichigo said, wanting to see if his suspicions were correct.

"I don't know, do I?" Erza asked in an agitated tone.

'Well that answers that…' Ichigo thought with a deadpanned expression, taking note that she had repeated what he had said during the trial.

"Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. But with the way things went I really wouldn't have done anything differently." Ichigo said defensively.

For how uncooperative he had been at the beginning of the trial, it didn't change the fact that he was able to use that as a bargaining chip to keep both of them as well as Natsu and Happy out of jail. That in mind, if that hadn't happened it would likely have not ended well, ironically enough. A tired sigh courtesy of the scarlet-haired knight broke him out of his thoughts, after which she chose to speak once more.

"It wasn't that I was upset by what you said… even I smiled when you said those things about being a threat to those that harm Fairy Tail. However I do not wish for you to attract unwanted attention, and your brazen attitude can only serve to attract the attention of the council. Believe me when I say there are some people on that council you are better off avoiding all together." Erza stated, frowning slightly as she finished.

"You're talking about that blue-haired guy… Siegrain, right?" Ichigo questioned, somewhat to the surprise of his traveling companion.

"Yes, but how did you…" Erza began, though she was cut off.

"I'm pretty good at reading people. I happened to pick up that ability shortly after getting my powers. But when I first met that guy and heard him speak at the trial I couldn't tell what he was really after. It was like he was saying one thing but his mind was in another place altogether. He just seemed like the type of person you couldn't trust." Ichigo stated.

The substitute's words, however, caused Erza to frown and avert her gaze. He had been spot on with his assumption, and because this was the case the scarlet-haired woman felt a sense of guilt over knowing a secret about the man and a very much so evil relative of his.

"You would be correct. Siegrain is most definitely not someone that can be trusted, however he is far from a scheming mastermind if I were to say what I honestly believe." Erza replied, telling the truth as she saw it. His brother, on the other hand, was a cold-hearted bastard that she truly never wanted to become reacquainted with as things currently stood.

"How do you know him, by the way?" Ichigo asked, raising a curious brow.

"I do not wish to speak of such things." Erza replied, her expression becoming rather sullen as she spoke.

This reaction, however, did not go unnoticed by her companion. In fact it was the exact same look he had seen on himself whenever he recalled the loss of his mother. It may very well have been something nowhere near as tragic, but it was undoubtedly the expression of emotional pain.

"Sorry if that was too personal." Ichigo apologized, seeing the need to do so.

"I'm not upset about it…" Erza said in reassurance.

Yet another silence took hold over, each having gone back to staring out the window and enjoying the scenery that passed them by. However still one thing was left to be said, and thus it was broken yet again by the redheaded knight.

"May I ask you a question?" Erza asked.

"You just did." Ichigo replied, smirking slightly. He looked over to the well-known female wizard and took note of the scowl she currently sported.

"Not a fan of jokes, got it. Anyway, go ahead and ask me whatever you like." Ichigo said. At the very least he had managed to take her mind off of whatever the subject of Siegrain had inspired.

"What are those places like? I saw three different realms of existence, of that I am sure, but I am not entirely positive of each's significance." Erza stated.

She had been extraordinarily curious about the images that were shown, mostly because they were a visual representation of what the substitute's world was like. It was true that simply speaking about the concept was interesting enough, but to actually be able to see it firsthand was something else entirely. However, she became confused when he saw the orange-haired teen shiver, though it appeared to be involuntary.

"Why did you shiver just now?" Erza asked confusedly.

"That woman back at the trial, she creeped me out a bit. Reminds me of someone I know actually…" Ichigo replied.

'Well, at least it is good to know that he isn't promiscuous.' Erza thought. Her guild had enough perverts as it was, each of whom would have jumped at the woman's playful advances. Sadly, one of them happened to be the master himself, but that was another matter entirely.

"Anyway, those places were the world of the living, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Dangai. Each of those palaces I think I've explained before, but if you're wondering which was which it isn't all too difficult to explain. The one with people wearing clothes similar to those that I wear in my soul form was the Soul Society. The place with large buildings was the world of the living, and the tunnel-looking on was the Dangai. Lastly, Hueco Mundo was that dark depressing place you saw in the projections." Ichigo explained.

"I see… then those creatures with white masks were hollows?" Erza guessed, eliciting a nod from the orange-haired teen.

"Yes, exactly right." Ichigo replied.

"And as a Substitute Soul Reaper are you required to fight those beasts often?" Erza questioned.

"Yeah… all the time actually, but hollows are more complicated than that so they aren't all as big a problem as most of them seem." Ichigo answered, his mind drifting to his adventures in Hueco Mundo where he had met Nel and her 'brothers'.

"Would you mind explaining?" Erza asked curiously, not entirely understanding how creatures like what she saw could be anything but troublesome.

"Not to be rude, but that's a bit of a long story and I'm a bit worn out right now." Ichigo said, releasing a tired yawn as he finished.

"Very well…" Erza trailed off in a tone of slight disappointment.

"I can tell you about hollows and whatever else you want to know about later. It can be another 'I owe you'." Ichigo stated.

"So long as you promise, then I don't mind waiting." Erza replied, giving off a small smile.

{Magnolia: Fairy Tail Guildhall, Some Time Later…}

Ichigo and Erza had arrived back at the guildhall with little trouble upon leaving the courtroom itself a few hours ago. Naturally, upon their return many were incredibly curious as to what had happened and how everything ended up turning out.

This was especially of great interest to those who truly believed, or knew to be true, the fact that the orange-haired teen wasn't quite from this world. Obviously it would be hard to lie directly in front of the council and the truth itself made him seem ever so slightly insane, which only caused everyone to be even more curious given that he had returned in one piece and appeared rather calm.

As a result of this, the past hour or so of their return was spent explaining what had happened and what was said. The only part that was skipped over were the few bits about a certain councilwoman teasing Fairy Tail's latest member, though perhaps that was for the best.

Most listened intently, even the master from his position atop the bar. Simply because he didn't want to smother two of his 'children' right after they got back didn't mean he wasn't curious about what had happened. Those that had heard everything, however, chose not to even speak during the telling of events, mainly because the world the mysterious teen came from was described in great detail by Erza herself.

All things considered the conversation turned into less of a telling of events and more of an information piece on the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the world of the living. No one seemed to mind this, however.

"Wow, your world seems really complicated…" Mira commented from her position seated directly across both of the freshly acquitted members.

"Indeed. I was quite glad to see it within the projection of a Memory Lacrima. Speaking of which, I believe it would be possible to show everyone a brief scene with the one you were given back at the courtroom." Erza recalled, though the substitute was in no way going to support that idea.

"Nope, not gonna happen. The less I remember about the person who gave it to me the better… in fact, here you go." Ichigo stated, after which he took a green crystal out of his pocket and tossed it towards Erza.

The scarlet-haired mage caught the Lacrima in her hand and looked at it confusedly, after which she directed her vision back to Ichigo with the same lost look still present on her features.

"You can keep it since after all I don't really have a use for it. Even if I tried to, we both know what would happen. Plus I don't really need a reminder of how awful today was." Ichigo explained, eliciting a nod of understanding from the redheaded wizard who subsequently placed the device in the pocket of her skirt.

"Today wasn't a total waste of time. I, as well as the others by extension of our telling of recent events, got to learn a good bit about your world." Erza said.

"You also happened to get your sentence revoked. How does it feel to get let off the hook?" Mira asked in a joking tone.

"One should never rejoice in getting away with doing something against the rules… but I still wouldn't go so far as to say it made me unhappy." Erza replied, causing the white-haired woman to giggle. That was as close to an admission that she enjoyed it as she would get.

"Yeah, I knew you guys wouldn't get into any real trouble!" Natsu said happily, a grin plastered onto his face. His words, however, elicited a glare from both of the Fairy Tail members that he had intended to address.

"All that worrying for nothing…" Lucy sighed out.

"Yeah, and Erza didn't even have to do anything serious since Ichigo agreed to talk to them." Gray added.

"That reminds me Erza, are you and Natsu going to finish your fight?" Elfman asked, having been the first to actually bring up such a thing. It appeared that even Fairy Tail's resident dragon slayer had forgotten.

"I say we pick up where we left off right now." Natsu said, his happy grin being replaced with one that just seemed to rejoice in the prospect of a fight.

"I am in no mood to acknowledge your request." Erza stated, glaring slightly at the dragon slayer. She still had yet to address the little incident that had occurred before the questioning had begun, and rest assured she intended to do so.

"Fight me!" Natsu exclaimed.

The pink-haired teen cocked back his fist and lunged at Fairy Tail's strongest female wizard, but before his fist came within four feet of its target it was caught within the palm of a very annoyed Substitute Soul Reaper.

"You're not fighting anything until I talk to you about what happened back in the courtroom. Don't think for a second that you're getting away with a dumb stunt like that." Ichigo stated, glaring heavily at his comrade and instantly causing his previously exited expression to be replaced by one of slight fear.

"Oh… so you still remember that…" Natsu thought aloud, sweatdropping given that he desperately hoped they hadn't.

"Still remember? Because of you the three of us nearly spent the night in jail!" Erza growled out angrily, getting up from her seat and turning to directly face the idiotic wizard.

"Four." Ichigo and Natsu said in unison, each gesturing towards the smiling blue feline that currently sat at a table across the guild eating fish.

"What difference does it make?! How can you justify such an idiotic action?!" Erza shouted angrily.

"I um… I had good intentions…" Natsu said meekly, trying to make some form of an attempt at defending himself.

"Stupidity has no good excuses, Natsu. Also, if I hadn't agreed to cooperate with the questioning, that could have been some serious trouble!" Ichigo countered, prompting the dragon slayer to release a sheepish chuckle.

"I'm sorry?" Natsu more asked than said.

"You're SORRY?! That's all you have to say for yourself?!" Erza exclaimed.

A second later and without further delay she proceeded to grab the pink-haired teen and throw him across the guildhall in a fit of anger, after which she went after him yet again and began to beat him like an old drum. Gray watched this with a wide smirk on his face, Ichigo did so with a neutral expression, Elfman and Mira chose not to pay any attention, and Lucy cringed noticeably.

"Shouldn't you stop here or something?" Lucy asked, directing her question to Ichigo.

"Hey, he needs to learn somehow, and I'm definitely not gonna be the one to hit him." Ichigo replied.

"Well now don't you sound like an older brother?" Mira commented, giggling slightly as she drew a surprised expression from the orange-haired teen.

"I wouldn't…" Ichigo began, though he paused to yawn.

That, however, struck him as very strange, mostly because just a second ago he hadn't even felt the urge. At the current point in time, however, he felt incredibly tired. He believed for a moment that he was falling ill, but that was quickly put to the bed, upon seeing most everyone in the guildhall collapse with their eyes closed. After this had happened, he heard footsteps approaching the guild's entrance, and that was all he needed to hear in order to know action likely needed to be taken.

Ichigo grabbed his combat pass an instant later, after which he immediately used flash step to appear directly in front of whomever it was that was entering the guild, his sword drawn and pointed directly at the intruder's throat.

He managed to get a good look at the man, taking note of his startled eyes at first, but that was to be expected given how quickly he had moved coupled with the fact that a large zanpakuto was currently aimed at his throat.

The man was covered from head to toe, for the most part, in clothing. He wore dark blue cloak while his arms and legs were mostly covered by white bandages. His face was also covered by a dark blue bandana across his forehead with a silver protector, and a green mask that obscured the bottom half of his face. One word to described how he appeared would be mysterious.

"Just who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked warily, not moving his sword an inch just yet.

"I was about to ask you the same thing…" The man replied.

"Stop it Ichigo, that's enough… he's one of ours." Makarov stated.

Ichigo turned back and gave the elderly wizard a confused look, but shortly thereafter he retracted Zangetsu and placed it on his back once more.

The cloaked man walked up to the request board, took down one of the many pieces of paper, and walked over to the master. They minced words for a short moment, after which he mysterious Fairy Tail wizard began to count backwards from five, ending directly as he exited the guildhall.

'What the hell was that?' Ichigo wondered, being completely confused. From what he could gather the wizard had used a type of sleeping spell, but why he would do so, he couldn't for the life of him figure out.

"Dammit, it happened again didn't it?" Gray groaned as he picked himself up from the floor, the other members of the guild waking up as he did so.

"Why does Mystogen have to do that every time he comes in? What a jerk…" Levy said.

"Who's Mystogen?" Lucy asked.

"For one thing he's a contender for this guild's strongest wizard." Elfman replied.

"Why the hell does he dress like that though?" Ichigo asked, drawing the attention of many present.

"You actually managed to stay awake and see him?" Mira asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"Yeah… but why does he hide his face and put everyone to sleep whenever he comes in?" Ichigo asked, repeating a modified version of his previous inquiry.

"I think it's just to hide his face. Master Makarov is the only one that's got a good look at his face before." Gray mused.

"That's not true, I've seen him before. That orange-haired kid also seemed like he got a good look at him after he pointed a sword straight at his throat." A voice called from the railing of the second floor.

Everyone present looked up to see a muscular-looking blonde-haired man looking down upon the other members of the guild. He had a cocky disposition, but even so it wasn't guaranteed that it was unfounded as of yet. He wore what appeared to be an orange tunic with spots similar to that of a leopard's scattered throughout the garment. He also sported a red cape that was knotted in the front, dark baggy pants, and chose to wear a pair of headphones over his ears, or at least that's what they looked like.

"You're new here, aren't you? So what's your name newbie?" The man asked.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, who the hell are you?" Ichigo shot back, holding his usual scowl and slight glare as he did so.

"Heh, name's Laxus Drayer, maybe you've heard these weaklings talk about me before." He replied, smirking as he spoke.

"I didn't even notice you were up there Laxus. You're almost never here." Someone commented.

"Who's he?" Lucy asked.

"Another contender for this guild's strongest wizard." Elfman replied.

"About Mystogen though, he's just a little shy. You'll just have to respect his privacy." Laxus stated.

"Alright Laxus, you and me, right here!" Natsu demanded, instantly getting up and glaring at the blond-haired man who stood along the railing of the second floor.

"I thought Erza beat you up already…" Ichigo commented, looking back confusedly at the reenergized form of the dragon slayer.

"Yeah right, if you can't even beat the redhead, why bother with me?" Laxus stated cockily.

"Exactly what are you trying to say?" Erza growled out angrily, a sinister aura surrounding her body as she spoke.

"I'm saying that I'm the guild's strongest wizard." Laxus replied, his smirk increasing in size.

'I've got a temptation to kick this guy's ass even more than I did Uryu the first time we met.' Ichigo thought, glaring heavily at the self-proclaimed strongest Fairy Tail wizard's form.

"Then come down here and prove it!" Natsu shouted.

"You come to me little man." Laxus shot back.

"With pleasure." Natsu growled.

The pink-haired dragon slayer began to run towards the stairs, obviously dead set on the path to a fight. However, the instant that he neared the staircase the master himself sent a magically enhanced hand crushing down on the boy's body, swatting him down like a simply fly.

"You're not allowed on the second floor Natsu, at least not yet." Makarov stated firmly.

"Wasn't that a bit extreme?" Ichigo asked.

"The strongest wizard in this guild isn't a hooded chump who hides his face. In fact you're lookin' right at him." Laxus said pridefully, drawing a glare from Erza and Natsu as a result.

A moment later, however, the blond-haired man shot through the railing and came crashing down towards the first floor of the guildhall, giving off the appearance that someone had either shoved him through the wooden makeup of the railing itself or that he had mistakenly fallen.

Bits of chipped wood had covered his clothing and also managed to get into his hair, while his expression had morphed from a smirk of superiority to a rather angry frown. Growling, Laxus picked himself up, obviously being astronomically upset by recent events.

Many in the guild were confused beyond belief, especially given that no one was on the second floor except Laxus himself, which would mean that he had fallen on his own accord. But even that still didn't make sense. Natsu and Erza, however, knew a certain individual who perhaps possessed the speed to pull that off, and upon looking over to the orange-haired substitute they saw that his scowl had been replaced with a contented smirk.

"What's the matter Laxus? You seem to have taken a bit of a fall." Erza commented, now allowing a smirk of her own to grace her features.

"Alright, so which one of you weaklings just did that?" Laxus questioned angrily, glancing around the guildhall as he spoke.

No one said a word, in fact a majority of the guild was rather fearful. Despite the fact that what had just occurred was incredibly funny to witness, the fact still remained that the blond-haired man was capable of wiping out half the guild with a flick of his wrist.

"No one's gonna say anything? Fine, I'll beat it out of ya." Laxus stated threateningly.

"That's enough Laxus, just go back upstairs." Makarov requested in a serious tone.

"Tch…" Laxus scoffed, after which he begrudgingly did as the master had asked.

Most everyone went back to what they had been doing prior to the incident occurring, though Natsu still remained laying down on the floor in the aftermath of being swatted down by the master. Ichigo himself went back to where his body was seated, after which he reentered it and dawned a blank expression. Erza joined him a moment later, taking her previous seat in much the same manner though she obviously didn't have to enter her body.

"Well, I better be getting back to work. This place doesn't take care of itself ya know?" Mira chirped in a friendly manner, after which she got up and left the two others she had previously been conversing with.

When the barmaid had left, the scarlet-haired wizard instantly directed her gaze towards Ichigo. She had a small smirk on her face and looked at him with knowing eyes, which incidentally caused the substitute's serious visage to vanish in favor of a small amused smile.

"What?" Ichigo asked, unable to hide the humor in his voice given that he was positive the redhead was intelligent enough to put two and two together.

"I know what you did back there… and I would regrettably like to thank you. He thoroughly deserved that." Erza said in a serious tone.

"No problem… and I guess someone had to do it." Ichigo replied, though his choice of words seemed to aggravate his comrade.

"Are you implying that I haven't the guts to stand up to him directly?" Erza asked dangerously.

"Not at all, in fact I think you're stronger than blondie." Ichigo replied.

The substitute's words accomplished two things. Firstly, Erza's aggravated demeanor disappeared, and secondly, a new mask of confusion took its place.

"May I ask why you think this is the case?" Erza questioned.

"That guy seemed like he had a lot of raw power, even I have to admit that. In fact he may have more than you, but sensing out that stuff isn't my strong suit so I could be wrong. However, even if he does have more power, that doesn't mean he is stronger. Power isn't strength, and in a fight it matters who is stronger. Strength also comes from the reasons behind why you fight and how much you believe in them, and I already know that you fight for the right reasons." Ichigo explained.

"Then I thank you for the compliment." Erza replied, a small but genuine smile gracing her features.

"Just telling you what I think you already know is true." Ichigo said.

A moment of silence passed, but that ended just as quickly as it began upon the redheaded wizard releasing a tired sight.

"I think I will retire for the evening. Goodnight, Ichigo." Erza stated.

"Goodnight, Erza." Ichigo replied in a friendly manner.

No sooner than he had given his farewell did a certain dragon slayer zoom up to him, with Happy perched on his shoulder, and grab his arm in a manner that suggested a sense of urgency.

"Yeah, yeah, time to go." Natsu stated.

"Wait, where are we…" Ichigo began, though he was cut off as the pink-haired mage ran out of the guild, leaving nothing but dust in his tracks and taking the substitute with him.

"Those two seem to be getting along well." Mira commented through a chuckle, finding it rather amusing that someone like Ichigo had just let himself be spirited away without protest.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something, Mira. What's so special about the second floor that the master had to stop Natsu from going up there?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Oh, well upstairs is forbidden to anyone who isn't S-Class. There are only a few of those wizards in the guild, and the jobs that they take on make the ones from the request board downstairs look like child's play. With that risk comes higher reward, but the wizards that are allowed to do so are handpicked by the master himself." Mira explained.

"Wow, the S-Class wizards must be something else." Lucy thought aloud.

"Yup, there are only a few in the guild, and that includes Laxus, Mystogen, and Erza." Mira added.

"Well… I should probably head home. It's getting late, goodbye Mira." Lucy said as she got up to leave.

"Goodnight." Mira replied in a friendly voice, waving the blonde off.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot…" Lucy began, reaching into her pocket as she did so.

A moment later she pulled out what appeared to be a folded piece of paper, after which she placed it on the wooden surface of the bar, successfully confusing the barmaid as she did so.

"Ichigo asked me to give this to you, but I've got no idea what it is." Lucy said.

The blonde-haired celestial mage waved goodbye to Mirajane shortly thereafter, heading back to her lovely and cozy home without any further delay.

Mira, however, looked curiously at the piece of paper and opened it, immediately realizing that it was a note of some kind. Out of the note dropped a total of a thousand Jewel, which fell on the bar and greatly surprised and confused her all at the same time.

'Sorry about the damage, I hope this covers it.' Mira read, her eyes widening upon doing so given that at the bottom of the note was the very signature of their guild's latest member.

She looked back at the wreckage that was caused by Laxus's fall. The damage would be covered by a thousand Jewel with relative ease, but that wasn't really the important implication of the note. The fact remained that Ichigo had been the one to push the S-Class wizard down into the railing without being noticed, something that was as impressive as it was unbelievable.

'I didn't even see him move…' Mira thought.

"What's that piece of paper in your hand Mirajane?" Makarov asked in a friendly manner.

"Oh, it's nothing master." Mira assured, after which she ripped the piece of paper into many tiny shreds.

The white-haired woman may have disliked hiding something from the master, but Laxus did thoroughly deserve the embarrassment. In fact, it may have actually been necessary given that Makarov's soft spot for his grandson always prevented him from actually correcting his behavior.

"I see… well, just make sure that mess is cleaned up please. I'll have to talk to Laxus about his behavior after this." Makarov stated before walking off.

'Well, that certainly was interesting… but I guess at this point I shouldn't really be surprised.' Mira thought with a smile.

{Magnolia: Outside Lucy's Home, Some Time Later…}

"Ya know, I think I'm starting to get how the structure of Fairy Tail works and where everyone stands." Lucy though aloud as she continued to walk towards her home.

The celestial spirit mage had more or less been picking up the facts about her new guild as she went, and the concept of S-Class was very appealing. Large sums of money for competing jobs were always appreciated, but even so no job was worth risking her life.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, upon coming up to the door of her rented home and seeing none other than Ichigo sitting down off to the side of it with a bored expression etched on his face.

"Um… not to sound rude or anything, but why are you here?" Lucy asked confusedly, prompting the orange-haired teen to pick himself up as a result of seeing the home's owner return.

"Because I didn't think it was a good idea to just barge in." Ichigo replied evenly.

"Don't tell me…" Lucy sighed out, realizing what the words of her friend had meant.

"Okay, I won't." Ichigo said.

A moment later the blonde-haired teen opened the door to her home only to be greeted with the sight of both Natsu and Happy sitting around her wooden table. Naturally, this angered her a great degree given that his was the second time just today that her home had been broken into.

"You guys suck!" Lucy shouted angrily.

"Hey, calm down Lucy, we just needed to tell ya the good news." Natsu stated with a grin, confusing the celestial wizard as he spoke.

"Wait, so that's why you had me come here?" Ichigo asked, having just now found out the reason he was dragged out of the guildhall so suddenly.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Lucy inquired.

"Anyway, I've made a decision! Our team is ready for the big time, S-Class." Natsu stated, after which his blue-furred feline companion presented a flyer that had a large red stamp with the S-Class mark on it.

"How did you get that?! I thought we weren't allowed to go on the second floor!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I just climbed up the stairs and took it." Happy answered cheerfully.

"Wait, what?" Ichigo uttered.

"You little cat burglar!" Lucy growled out.

"Still since this is our first S-Class request we decided to go for the one with the smallest reward. Still seven million Jewel is a lot of money." Natsu commented.

"We're not ready for it, even if it is for that much money!" Lucy exclaimed fearfully, her conversation with Mirajane still fresh in her mind.

"Wait, wait, wait, just what the hell is S-Class anyway?" Ichigo asked confusedly, having been lost throughout the conversation thus far.

"S-Class quests are the most difficult quests you can take. The rewards are big, and the jobs even bigger." Natsu stated with a large grin etched on his face.

"There's still a high risk to your own life involved!" Lucy shouted.

"I think we're ready for it. Plus the master might end up being proud of us if we can pull it off." Natsu countered.

"This may be the dumbest thing you've ever done…" Lucy sighed out.

"That's not true, now come on… it's on a tropical island." Natsu said.

"Really?" Lucy asked, taking a sudden interest in the job request.

"It says it's a cursed island…" Ichigo commented with a deadpanned expression, instantly picking up on that fact as a result of just a cursory glance.

"Then no thank you! You can go on this job by yourself." Lucy stated.

"Alright fine… let's go Ichigo." Natsu said, after which he prepared to jump out of the window in favor of a quicker exit.

"Wait, you're actually going along with this?" Lucy asked in a surprised tone, momentarily ignoring the fact that the dragon slayer opted not to use her door.

"You really think I'd let him take this on by himself? Trust me when I say if I'm there then the job won't end up being life-threatening if I can help it." Ichigo replied, after which he headed for the door.

"Wait, you forgot the flyer." Lucy said, after which she picked up the parchment so that she could return it.

Incidentally, she also managed to get a closer look at it by doing so. As a result of this, she immediately took note of a rather tempting side-reward for completing the mission.

"Oh, sorry about that. Natsu probably left it, so I can just…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off.

"Wait, wait, wait… so apparently on top of the huge reward you also get a gate key for doing this?" Lucy wondered aloud, a mischievous glint coming into her eyes.

"Then I take it you suddenly want to come?" Ichigo asked amusedly.

"Maybe…" Lucy replied.