Bring Down The Moon...

Chapter 17 - Bring Down The Moon...

{Rocky Shoreline of the Island, Some Time Later…}

The group had gathered outside the former resting place of the demon Deliora. Ichigo had thus far been informed what had happened during his fight with Zalty, mainly the fight that occurred with Lyon and what Lucy and Erza had been up to.

When Erza did show up with the blonde after Lyon's final defeat, he could have sworn Natsu almost jumped out of his skin. Actually the dragon slayer foolishly tried to run away.

Working back to the matter at hand, it seemed that Lyon, for all of his arrogance, and all of his talk of surpassing Ur, was nothing but a lost child. Perhaps his heart and head were in the wrong place, but he seemed to have good intentions in the end.

In fact, the entirety of those who followed him did so with a very specific reason. His lackeys weren't cruel, they just believed in him more than anything else, and he really had no choice other than to do the same. A man who sought out to defeat a demon and get retribution for all the lives it had taken. All in all it was a rather noble goal.

It was also a definite positive that Erza hadn't exploded in anger as of yet, which was a good sign that perhaps she had cooled down a bit. However given that a demon was defeated and the Moon Drip ceremony would no longer continue she couldn't complain about all that much.

"Alright, we won!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

"You think the master will let us up to the second floor now?" Lucy asked excitedly.

"Ehem…" A sound came.

Everyone directed their eyes towards a once again angry-looking Erza Scarlet, whose glare and accompanying scowl caused everyone save for Ichigo to pale and sweat. Evidently she hadn't quite forgotten her reason for being here, but it would have been very wishful thinking to assume that she would lose track of her primary goal.

"You're still going to punish us, aren't you?" Lucy asked fearfully.

"I believe you are forgetting something." Erza stated.

"What are you talkin' about Erza?" Gray questioned in a confused tone.

"I think what she's saying is that the villagers are still being affected by the curse. Remember what Lucy's spirit said? It was the effect of the Moon Drip, and just because that ceremony is no longer going on doesn't mean the effects just instantly vanish." Ichigo explained, having known this was the case. Still, by this point he had figured it out.

The energy from the Moon Drip was the very same that he was sensing from the moon the first night they had arrived, and when he discovered what the ceremony was he had assumed that it was the reason his senses were even worse off than they usually were. However, even though the Moon Drip was stopped and Deliora was gone, his senses were still the exact same, meaning there was something on the island, or more specifically around it that was causing both the curse and his lack of perception.

"Exactly, even with Deliora gone the magical energy from the Moon Drip is what is still causing the villagers to take on their appearance." Erza stated, sounding somewhat surprised that her comrade had deduced that much.

"Still, how do we… wait, hey Lyon, do you know how to fix it?" Gray inquired, turning to look at his once again friend with a hopeful voice.

"To be honest I don't have a clue." Lyon replied honestly.

"You don't know?" Natsu asked in a tone of disbelief.

"What?" Happy uttered.

"But they told us that the curse started when you guys got here." Lucy countered.

"When we first got here three years ago, we were aware that there was a village somewhere on this island, but we had absolutely no reason to communicate with the villagers so we left them alone, and they never came to the temple to see what we were up to." Lyon explained.

"In three years you never once met?" Erza questioned, sounding as if she was deep in thought.

'Hang on… if that's the case… then maybe…' Ichigo thought.

"Wait, but how can that be? The Moon Drip shines so brightly that you can see it from practically anywhere on the island. It doesn't make sense that they would never once investigate." Lucy mused.

"The villagers weren't transformed by the Moon Drip, it doesn't affect the human body." Lyon replied.

"What?" Most everyone exclaimed confusedly.

That response, however, caused something to click inside Ichigo's brain. The conclusion it brought him to was really disturbing, but nevertheless nothing else made sense. It was undeniably true that the Moon Drip didn't affect humans, which meant only one thing.

"That doesn't make sense." Natsu stated matter-of-factly.

"Actually it makes perfect sense… think about it. Lyon and the others have been here for three years and have been exposed to the light from the Moon Drip just as long." Ichigo reasoned.

"Yes, that's precisely correct. However I wouldn't trust the villagers, they're hiding something." Lyon said.

"And I know what it is…" Ichigo trailed off, surprising most everyone present.

"Wait, what?!" Natsu exclaimed.

'So he managed to figure it out… impressive. In fact he may have even beaten me to it.' Erza thought, however she didn't find it pleasant to know that this may have been the case. In many ways it was rather impressive if he had actually figured out the secret of the 'curse'.

'Wait… aren't I supposed to be upset with him over this?!' Erza realized, though before she was able to do anything the orange-haired teen opted to wisely, albeit unknowingly so, offer a necessary course of action.

"It's kinda creepy… but we better just see for ourselves. Come on, we still have to finish this job, right?" Ichigo reasoned before he began to walk off.

"Hey wait, what about this guy?!" Natsu shouted.

"Leave him be Natsu…" Erza ordered, after which she too began to head off.

"But he…" Natsu began to protest.

The scarlet-haired night only needed to direct a single glare at her comrade before he opted to run towards the village so far that you'd think he was using flash step. Gray, however, decided to stay behind, opting to speak to the formerly known Cold Emperor one final time.

"What're you looking at?" Lyon lightly growled, obviously still not being on the greatest of terms with the other half that made up Ur's former students.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you really should join a guild… you'd make more friends, make new rivals, and maybe even find a new dream to work for." Gray stated.

The silver-haired teen adopted a surprised expression, and he even released a quiet gasp. It was truly something to know that even after all he had done, the first friend that he could say he ever had still looked out for him. Still, he wasn't going to let Gray know that he cared to that degree, and so he just grunted dismissively before speaking.

"Whatever, just go away, I don't want to see you." Lyon scoffed, though his words clearly a petty attempt at hiding what he truly wished to say.

"Alright…" Gray replied, walking off with a genuine smile on his face.

'Gray… perhaps you were right. It is good to know that despite our differences… we still seem to be friends. Thank you… for everything that you've done here.' Lyon thought, a lone tear dripping from his right eye.

{Outskirts of the Village...}

The Fairy Tail members had arrived at what they thought to be the remnants of the village in a rather speedy time. However, there was definitely something different about the village when they returned.

It wasn't that it was missing anything, rather it currently wasn't missing a single thing whatsoever. The crater that resulted from the acid had been completely filled and each and every single building was exactly where it had been. Even the wall was back up around the village's perimeter and a series of fires were lit within.

'It's the same as it was before anything happened… but how is that possible?' Ichigo wondered.

"The village is… i-its back to normal…" Gray thought aloud.

"What the hell happened?!" Natsu exclaimed confusedly.

"Let's go find out." Erza said.

'It's like someone reset everything, but that would mean that…' Ichigo thought as they continued to walk towards the settlement.

He didn't even get to finish his mental sentence before his eyes widened out of pure shock. The one and only person that was capable of doing something like this was a man he presumed to be their enemy.

By the time he had reached the settlement, not even Ichigo could come up with a reason as to why the time magic user would restore the village. He didn't think of himself as a genius by any means, but he still considered himself to be intelligent. Thus it bothered him that he couldn't figure it out.

"Moka, what happened to the village? Last I checked it was like almost completely destroyed." Natsu questioned, sounding absolutely lost.

"We don't understand it ourselves, but it would appear that our village has somehow been restored." Moka replied, sounding equally as confused.

"Still it's really good that everything is back to how it originally was." Lucy reasoned.

"Yes… while it is indeed odd, I suppose that…" Erza began, though she was forced to stop midsentence.

Fairy Tail's strongest female wizard then made the same mistake that Natsu and Ichigo had made just a day prior. Just as the village was returned back to the way it once was, a certain concealed pitfall was also put back into place. Sadly, the redheaded knight didn't really know about it and, as a result, fell directly into the 'trap'.

"AAAH!" Erza squealed girlishly, falling down the pit as was the original intent of the trap, though its target was once again incorrect.

"She screamed like a girl…" Natsu said in awe.

"And it was… cute…" Gray added.

"She doesn't have to know who made that trap, right?" Lucy slightly pleaded.

"Erza, you okay?" Ichigo asked, being the only one to do so given that everyone else's minds seemed occupied by something else.

The scarlet-haired woman climbed out of the pit and dusted off her skirt, not looking rattled in the slightest despite what had just happened to her. Actually, she appeared even calmer than prior for some reason.

"I am fine. Right now, however, we need to get back to the matter at hand." Erza replied.

"Oh yeah… about the curse, right?" Natsu recalled.

"Speaking of which, when are you gonna blow up the moon?" One of the villagers questioned urgently.

"Yes, that is the only way we can be cured. We do appreciate the fact that you saved our village and defeated those awful people, but still we must insist that you complete the job we have requested of you." Moka said.

Most of the Fairy Taill wizards present stared at the villagers with deadpanned expressions due to the fact that they were still insisting on such a ridiculous course of action. However, it remained true that while Deliora was gone and the Moon Drip was stopped, the apparent 'curse' still remained.

"You're wrong by saying that we need to blow up the moon…" Ichigo called out, surprising everyone present save for the only other person who actually knew the meaning of his words. Well, the only one visibly present, anyway.

Off in the shadows, and unbeknownst to those in the village, a masked man looked down at the group with a smirk on 'his' face. It appeared that the orange-haired teen was smart enough to figure out the faux-curse after all. At the same time it remained to be seen what exactly he would do about it.

"So you really did figure it out?" Erza inquired with a small smirk.

"What're you talking about?" Natsu asked confusedly.

"Yeah, tell us, tell us!" Happy chirped.

"Well… it'll just be easier to show you." Ichigo replied.

Without bothering to directly answer anyone's questions he bent his knees before he jumped high into the air. He didn't stop, however, as he continued to fly higher and higher into the sky, his body just becoming a spec at this point.

"He can fly as well?" Erza asked in a surprised voice, looking at the orange-haired teen's rapidly fading form with widened eyes.

"Yup." Happy simply replied, nodding as he did so.

Ichigo stopped his flight path the second he believed himself to be close enough to what it was that he desired to hit. With this in mind, he cocked back his sword and began to raise his spiritual energy to the necessary heights. He didn't know quite how strong the attack needed to be in order to successfully do as it was needed, but there was no chance firing a more powerful version could backfire if all he was doing was shooting at thin air.

Zangetsu erupted in a flare of light blue spiritual energy, shining so brightly and brilliantly that those who had yet to see it, and even several who had, were completely taken by a sense of awe. Despite his distance, the attacks power was still very evident.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo shouted, swinging his zanpakuto forward in a slashing motion at the purple moon.

A large wave of blue spiritual energy poured forth from the blade, covering a large amount of the sky and heading directly towards what everyone believed to be the source of the village's problems.

"He's not actually trying to blow up the moon… is he?" Lucy questioned, being somewhat serious.

"Ichigo did say he didn't need to…" Gray replied, though he was clearly unconvinced given what was playing out right before his eyes.

"But he aimed it at the moon." Natsu commented.

"Just watch." Erza simply stated, smirking as she saw the impressive attack continue in its path.

"He… he's really doing it!" Several of the villagers cheered, smiling up as the bright light of the Getsuga approached the orbiting mass of rock.

The attack seemed to make contact with something as a massive explosion made itself apparent directly where the purple moon had been. Smoke and light bits of fire covered the area for a brief moment, but shortly thereafter everyone was able to see that the moon was gone, or at least the corrupted version thereof.

Before the very eyes of everyone present, a large hole currently took the place of the purple moon, through which the normal bright glow of the actual moon shined through. Shortly thereafter cracks began to stretch forth from the freshly created opening, subsequently after which all across the island the sound of shattering glass could be heard.

It gave off the appearance that a barrier of some kind had just been destroyed, and as a result of this the purple moon was simply gone, erased from the night sky in no less than an instant. From the continuously shattering dome, magical particles rained down all over the island, shocking most everyone who say them.

"The moon's still there!" Someone exclaimed.

Ichigo appeared on the ground with his sword once again sheathed and a neutral expression on his face. Most of the villagers looked at him with grateful eyes, simply believing that without the purple moon, the curse would vanish just like that.

"Wait… what just happened?" Natsu questioned confusedly.

"The island was surrounded by some kind of barrier that was created by the Moon Drip. I had been wondering for some time why my senses were so terrible while on this island, and that's how I knew it existed. Also, since it's gone now, the villagers should no longer be exposed to the light from the Moon Drip and as a result they will become normal again." Ichigo explained.

"Then we will finally be human again!" Moka cheered excitedly.

"Not quite…" Ichigo commented, once again drawing many confused looks.

"Now I'm as lost as flame brain over here." Gray commented.

"It would appear that you've figured that out as well. I am very impressed, Ichigo. The villagers are indeed cured, but they aren't human. If that were the case then the Moon Drip wouldn't have initially affected them. However, it did in fact cause anomalies in their physical appearance because they are all actually demons." Erza explained.

"What?!" Many of the villagers shouted in a surprised tone. They may or may not have been joined by Lucy, Happy, Natsu, and Gray.

"One thing I don't get though… why would they take the form of humans with some demons limbs? I'd think that if they were really just demons then they would take on a completely human appearance as opposed to just a mostly-human one." Ichigo said.

"Well that is the case because they are demons who have the ability to take on human forms. It is also because of this that there memories were distorted and they began to actually believe they were humans who had been turned into demons, and not the other way around." Erza replied.

"Wait… were we really?" Someone asked.

"You guys seriously couldn't remember something that important?!" Ichigo exclaimed in an annoyed tone. That really wasn't something you should ever really forget. It would like him taking on his soul form and forgetting that he was actually still a living human.

"Well it's hard to remember… and we all just get so confused when we try…" Another replied.

"That does mean that the curse is lifted though… and with this our suffering will at least end." Moka stated firmly and happily.

"Well, well, looks like you guys managed to do it after all. I knew I could count on ya." A familiar voice stated cheerfully from behind the group.

"That voice…" Lucy trailed off as she turned to face the new arrival.

"Bobo?!" Moka uttered out of sheer surprise.

"It's the boat guy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye!" Happy said in a startled tone.

In the air directly to their front a demonic version of the man who had sailed them to Galuna Island hovered in place, flapping his wings with a wide smile etched on his face. Still, his presence did mean that he hadn't been a ghost, which truly did shock Gray and Lucy given that this is what they were assuming up until this point.

"I knew he wasn't a ghost… otherwise I would've sensed something." Ichigo thought aloud.

"I really hope you kids can forgive me for not tellin' ya the truth about the island. You see I was the only one without any memory loss so I had to get outta here. I knew I was a demon, but everyone else suddenly thought they were cursed humans, hahahahaha." Bobo said.

"Bobo…" Moka trialed off.

The tribal leader then sprouted his demon wings and flew towards his son with tears in his eyes and streaming down his cheek. Without giving it a second thought, he happily embraced his one and only son in the air.

"I'm so glad ya finally snapped out of it pops." Bobo said happily, returning the embrace immediately thereafter.

Almost all at once the gaggle of demons decided to join their tribal chief and his finally returned son, smiles on their faces and nothing but an aura of relief about their presence.

"Well now doesn't this warm your heart… kinda…" Lucy mused. They were still demons so there was a little bit of an oddity factor involved, but still it was touching.

{Galuna Island: Village, Some Time Later…}

Thus far the islanders had opted to throw a part in celebration of their 'curse' finally being lifted. Natsu and Happy were currently gulping down large amounts of food, but many of the demons were as well so it wasn't entirely out of place, and Lucy and Erza stood off to the side conversing in what appeared to be a pleasant manner.

Ichigo, however, currently sat with Gray in an effort to see how he was doing. The ice mage didn't say anything, but he could pick up on the fact that both he and Lyon had come to a better understanding of one another, but he had personal experience with making friends with people he had once called enemies.

"So your friend Lyon, you think he'll really join a guild?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know… I think so. More importantly I understand a little bit of what he was trying to do, and I got him to realize why it was wrong." Gray replied.

"Was he the first person you could call a friend?" Ichigo questioned in a serious voice.

The abrupt inquiry took the ice wizard by surprise, but after just a moment of thought he knew the answer. Technically Ur was the person he would consider as his first friend, but as his former teacher he didn't think of her as a friend first, more along the lines of a mother figure.

"Yeah… I guess he was. At least he's the first one I can remember." Gray replied solemnly.

It actually came as a source of comfort that this was true. For the longest time he had thought that his relationship with Lyon had gotten to a state of beyond repair due to Ur's passing, but today he was proven incorrect.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something. Why didn't you take out Lyon the first time on your own? I get the feeling you could've taken him easy, so why?" Gray questioned.

"It wasn't my place to." Ichigo answered simply.

"Just because we knew each other you thought it had to be me?" Gray uttered confusedly, likely due to his lack of understanding the logic.

"No, that wasn't the reason. Well… kinda, but still not entirely. When I saw how you looked at the Cold Emperor for the first time, I understood that you knew who he was underneath that mask. When I heard you speak to him for the first time, I knew the two of you had something connecting you, but I didn't know if it was a rivalry, a deep seeded hatred, or something else entirely. However, it was when I saw you challenge him that I knew you cared enough about that person to want to change their mind." Ichigo explained.

"You got all of that just by how I acted?" Gray asked, sounding both surprised and impressed.

"I know the feeling about fighting someone in an attempt to change their mind… so I guess just call it a personal experience that let me realize what exactly was going on." Ichigo replied.

Both sat in silence for a time, both just thinking on what was just said. The raven-haired teen actually felt quite good about all that had been accomplished thus far. Still, he did wonder one thing, and he chose to voice it.

"Then do you think… that I did the right thing?" Gray asked in an unsure tone.

"His heart and head were in two different places, and whenever that happens it's never a good thing. He did mean well, but in the end he needed you to show him why he was wrong. That was what you needed to do, and it's what you ended up choosing to do. So, yeah, you did the right thing." Ichigo replied.

"That's good… I'm glad I didn't mess up like Natsu usually does." Gray said with an amused chuckle, a genuine smile coming onto his lips.

"Hey, Natsu doesn't mess up when it counts." Ichigo replied, returning the gesture with a small smile of his own.

"Maybe, but he messes up a lot." Gray stated.

{With Lucy and Erza…}

"Those two seem to be getting along really well." Lucy observed, staring over at two of their group's conversing members.

"Indeed… Gray needed someone to talk to about this, and Ichigo seems to be able to connect with him on this issue. I don't know why, but I am truly happy that he seems to know how to deal with this situation." Erza replied, smiling as she did so. She could always be angry at him when the two were done talking, after all.

"When does he ever not know what to do?" Lucy asked jokingly, laughing slightly as she spoke.

Though her words held a humorous intent, the meaning and truth behind them weren't lost to the scarlet-haired wizard. Actually, because they had thus far been proven true, her smile increased in size.

'While I am still furious… I can't deny that he's really… just something else.' Erza thought.

In actuality Ichigo had proven to be somewhat of a godsend, which was even more ironic if you took into consideration the fact that he literally appeared from the sky out of nowhere and that he came from a different world. Had he not been here on the island, perhaps everything wouldn't have turned out quite the way it did.

Moreover, he was extremely capable in terms of fighting ability and intellect, something not many members of Fairy Tail had. Natsu had both in special circumstances, as did Gray, but overall they weren't able to fully think things through. In fact, it had been Ichigo who initially discovered what the curse really was.

At this point her mind drifted to one fact that she had only truly just taken into consideration. Ichigo was a fresh addition to their guild, someone that had only recently met her acquaintance not even a week ago. Yet somehow it felt as if he had been in Fairy Tail as long as she had and that they had known each other for ages. That had never happened before with any other individual that had ever entered the guild.

Considering this, the redheaded woman released a small content sigh. This man really was incredible, and yet he made it look so easy. Perhaps with his strength and intellect he was worthy of the title of S-Class mage. Factoring in who he was as a person, then another potential title that was a little more closely related to Erza herself that no man had ever held in the history of time thus far was a distinct possibility. If one this incredible couldn't be a candidate, she didn't know who could.

"I can't think of a time…" Erza finally replied.

{With Gray and Ichigo…}

"Oh come on, you have to admit it's ironic that you blew up the purple moon with a sword named Zangetsu." Gray said in a cheerful tone.

"Yeah, I guess that's true… but technically I didn't blow up the moon." Ichigo countered.

"Sure looked like it to me… Lucy almost had a heart attack, and Natsu almost died laughing at the look on her face." Gray stated, chuckling at the memory of the blonde essentially freaking out.

The ice mage didn't find it quite as funny as Natsu did at the time it was happening, but in retrospect it was pretty funny since the moon wasn't really destroyed. He'd never admit that he, even for a moment, ever believed Ichigo was actually going to destroy the lunar body.

"Hey you two…" A voice cooed from nearby, taking the two out of the conversation they had been having.

A group of many female demons of many different skin colors walked up to the Fairy Tail wizards with smiles on their faces.

"Hello ladies, how are you?" Ichigo greeted in a somewhat friendly tone, obviously not wanting to be rude. These people were being very hospitable and he preferred not to shrug that off.

"We're doing quite well thanks to you two… by the way, are you feeling better, Gray?" One of the demons asked.

"I guess so… um, do I know you?" Gray asked.

The female demon giggled in a girlish fashion briefly before she took on a human appearance. She was none other than the dark-haired girl he had seen that very morning upon waking up right before he was sent to meet up with Erza.

"Betcha don't recognize us when we're not in human form, huh?" The demon taking the form of a human asked in a somewhat disappointed fashion.

"Just so that you know, all the girls in our village think you two are like the coolest guys ever!" Another female demon stated with a blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah, she's right. We think your both super-hot!" Another squealed, causing both of the Fairy Tail guild members to blush slightly at the compliment.

"I bet you think we look cuter as humans, don't you?" Another slightly accused, though obviously she hoped this wasn't the case.

"That's not necessarily true… I think you all look great the way you are." Gray replied.

"What about you?" One of the girls questioned, looking to the teen that had yet to answer.

"Not really… I mean, what's on the inside is all that counts, and I'd never ask anyone to change how they look for me." Ichigo stated in an honest tone.

"Oh my gosh, you are like the sweetest guy ever!" Several squealed girlishly.

{With Erza and Lucy…}

"Wow, looks like those two are pretty popular with the ladies… don't you think?" Lucy said, giggling as she finished.

When no one responded to her question she turned to her right in order to see where her companion had gone. However, she was currently nowhere to be seen and she hadn't even heard her move in the first place.

"Erza?" Lucy called out in a confused tone, turning every way she could in search of her scarlet hair.

{Back with Ichigo and Gray…}

"Why don't you two come with us? We can teach you a few of our dances…" One of the demons offered with a large smile plastered onto her face.

"That's not all we can teach you." Another cooed with a sly smirk.

Both Ichigo and Gray blushed at this, but only one of them would end up having to endure the company of the female demons. A certain orange-haired substitute was destined for technically a far worse fate.

"Sorry ladies, but I am borrowing this one for the time being." Erza stated matter-of-factly, grabbing the collar of the Substitute Soul Reaper to illustrate who she had been referring to.

"Wait, what are…" Ichigo began, only to be dragged off by a seemingly annoyed redheaded woman before he could finish.

"Awww, I was looking forward to a dance… I didn't know he already had a girlfriend." One of the girls pouted.

'Hah, that's a good one.' Gray mentally chuckled.

The implication that Fairy Tail's Titania was incapable of romantic feelings was very much so a cruel joke to make, but it was still something that most perceived as reality. Still, he didn't want to make any more trouble for Ichigo given all that he had done for him today, and thus the ice make user kept his mouth shut for the time being.

{With Erza and Ichigo…}

The redheaded knight took her seat by a table and placed the man she had just dragged off directly to her side. She said nothing and began to gather a plate of food from the large feast in front of her, but because she did this Ichigo could only look at her with an expression of disbelief.

'Was what she just did normal to her?!' Ichigo wondered.

He waited for a moment to see if his weapon-friendly comrade would notice his evident desire to hear an explanation, and sadly it too a minute or so before she had actually chosen to say anything.

"Is something the matter?" Erza asked evenly.

"Um… why the hell did you just do that?" Ichigo questioned, clarifying his confusion.

Somewhat to his surprise, Erza turned her cheek and directed her vision back towards the food in front of her, giving off the appearance that she wasn't going to give an answer. That, however, wasn't the case as it was an attempt to hide the slight amount of blush on her cheeks, which she ended up doing successfully but this was again at the risk of seemingly slightly distant.

"I desired company to eat with and I seem to have lost track of Lucy. Moreover I desired to talk to you." Erza finally replied, a blush still evident on her cheeks if one were close enough to her face.

"What about?" Ichigo inquired, guessing that whatever it was it had to be important. The scarlet-haired woman was a serious person by nature, so he would find it hard to believe it this didn't end up being the case.

"First of all… you are most certainly not off the hook…" Erza began, he tone possessing a slight edge.

"…Crap." Ichigo mumbled beneath his breath, having forgotten that the redheaded teen was likely furious.

"However… I understand perfectly why Natsu and Lucy went on this mission, and to a degree why Gray decided to go along with it. I wish to know why you, given your current situation, decided to break one of the guilds most important rules." Erza explained.

The orange-haired teen winced slightly at the tone and choice of words his assumed friend had used, but still it was only natural for her to desire to know such a thing.

Erza, on the other hand, knew perfectly well what his answer would be due to Gray having informed her some time ago. Still, she needed an excuse for her pervious actions and it never hurt to be thorough in determining someone's motivation.

'Yes… that sounds like a plausible excuse.' Erza thought.

"It wasn't for the status or the reward, it was because I couldn't ignore what was happening. Protecting people who aren't able to do it themselves is just who I am, and I wasn't willing to turn a blind eye after I found out it was really that horrible. In the end, I guess everything worked out, but I won't apologize for my actions. Some things are simply more important than following rules. I would do it over and over again continuously despite there being rules set about, there isnt a single rule in life that says you cant help others or to protect those weaker than you now is there." Ichigo said firmly.

The scarlet-haired knight smiled at his words and her eyes took up a softened look to them. It was exactly the answer she had expected to hear, and the one in truth that she desired to hear. Still, she couldn't let him know that or see that she was pleased with what he had done for obvious reasons.

"So long as you don't do such a thing again I suppose I will not remain upset with you. However, I expect you to at the very least make up for your conduct by taking our match seriously." Erza stated, sounding remarkably authoritative despite the smile and soft look to her eyes. She did have a lot of practice in her usual 'do as I say or I will hurt you' tone of voice, after all.

"Alright then…" Ichigo trailed off, inwardly happy that this situation hadn't caused a rift between the two. Taking a fight seriously was a very small price to pay for that, and in all honesty he had intended to take their match seriously in the beginning.

{Outside the Village…}

A masked man sat perched atop a tree with a smirk evident on his face as he gazed upon the village. An orb was currently floating in front of him as it glowed, acting as a visual transference device to a location that one might not typically expect and to a person that people would suspect even less.

"Are you seeing all of this, sir?" Zalty asked.

"Yes… you can take off that ridiculous mask now, Ultear." Seigrain permitted from the other side of the crystal.

The 'man' took off the mask a second later, almost immediately after which his appearance shifted to that of a young woman and a member of the Magic Council no less. A smirk was still etched on her features, though it appeared far more playful and ominous than it did on her male alter-ego.

"Thank you, it was getting quite stuffy." Ultear replied.

"Tell me something… why did you restore the village?" Seigrain questioned.

"Because I happen to be a nice person." Ultear replied with a small but joking smile.

"Yes… some might say too nice. Those Fairy Tail wizards, they could pose a threat to our plans if left unchecked." Seigrain stated.

"Indeed… and that Ichigo Kurosaki boy is really quite interesting." Ultear said, gazing predatorily at the form of the orange-haired teen as he sat next to Fairy Tail's Titania.

"I agree completely. In fact, when you return, I desire to speak with you about him." Seigrain said.

The dark-haired woman's expression became one of slight surprise, but before she could ask anything on the subject the transmission was cut. Upon this happening, she had the temptation to break the crystal, restore it to its original form, and then break it again. It was a combination of both being left out of the loop while simultaneously having one of her 'playthings' being under Seigrain's watch.

'That naïve fool wouldn't know how to use a man of such potential… still, he isn't the one who is pulling the strings in the grand scheme of things.' Ultear thought, smirking to herself.

{Galuna Island: Village, The Next Morning…}

"Are you positive that you don't wish to take the money?" Moka questioned confusedly.

Currently, he and the rest of his village stood before Erza Scarlet and the rest of her companions. They had just offered them the reward for a job well done, but it was refused for what seemed to them to be a ludicrous reason.

"Why doesn't she take the money?" Lucy whined.

"I don't really care about that too much…" Natsu thought aloud.

"Aye." Happy nodded, just being content with two things. One, Ichigo still owed him fish so he was good on food. Two, they did manage to help the villagers a great deal and that in it of itself was a decent reward given their position.

"Why don't you seem to care about the reward, Ichigo?" Gray asked. He knew that helping people was all well and good, but still he wondered if there was something else to it for the orange-haired teen.

"I'm used to not being rewarded for stuff like this. As long as their safe I could care less for rewards, medals or even honor ." Ichigo replied uncaringly.

Saving Rukia, Orihime, stopping Aizen and then Ginjo, these were things he didn't necessarily get rewarded for, but that wouldn't stop him from doing each of them again in a heartbeat.

"Wow, that sucks." Natsu commented jokingly.

"Sorry, but doing so would be a violation of our guild's rules." Erza finally replied, though she smiled at the kindness the demons were ironically showing.

"I see… well perhaps we can offer you the gate key? You did save our village and cure us of the curse, so you at least deserve that much." Moka slightly pleaded.

"We will accept the key that you have offered, but as for the ride I believe we are fine." Erza replied, though her words confused her comrades.

"Wait, what how are we…" Ichigo began.

A loud horn from a nearby boat of all things sounded off, directing the attention of the Fairy Tail members and the villagers to it. The crewmembers of the vessel were evidently waving in a friendly manner to Erza, which only serviced to add to everyone current confusion.

"We're leaving on a boat?!" Natsu exclaimed, prompting Ichigo to sigh. Evidently the dragon slayer had once again considered swimming to be an option.

{Era: Seigrain's Chambers...}

Ultear walked towards the blue-haired man's desk with a neutral expression on her face. Normally she'd be at least somewhat cheerful, but given that this conversation held the potential to end poorly for the future plans of her own guild, and by extension herself, she wasn't in a very cheery mood.

"You wanted to speak to me about Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ultear questioned in a calm voice.

"My, my, aren't you one to get right to the point?" Seigrain stated with a small chuckle.

"That's not true, I…" Ultear said, raising her voice slightly though she stopped midsentence.

She made to defensively hold up her arms, but her ribcage began to ache as a result of the sudden gesture. This wasn't unnoticed by the esteemed councilmen whose chambers she currently stood, and thus he decided to inquire upon the evident pain his subordinate was experiencing.

"Are you alright? You seem injured…" Seigrain reasoned, taking note that the dark-haired woman was rubbing her left ribs and giving off a slightly pained expression.

"An after effect of my fight with Ichigo Kurosaki." Ultear replied, sounding a little more cheerful in an attempt to ward off suspicion of her immediate desire to get to the subject of the meeting.

"Hahaha, that's a bit of a delayed reaction, don't you agree?" Seigrain jibbed.

"I'm glad our confrontation has left you so amused. Now I believe you had a reason for calling me here, sir." Ultear said in her usual tone of voice.

"Why yes I did. I want to know your honest opinion of Ichigo Kurosaki. Natsu Dragneel has already begun to burn brightly just as I had hoped, but this man is quite literally an otherworldly enigma. Please shed some light on him for me." Siegrain requested.

"He is a powerful opponent." Ultear replied almost instantly and in a tone of deadly seriousness.

"Oh? Care to explain?" Seigrain questioned, hiding his surprise at the woman's response.

It was very rare for Ultear to respond so seriously about anything, let alone something as trivial as fighting. On top of that, she was also a powerful wizard herself, which only went to show just how distinct of an impression Ichigo Kurosaki had left on her.

"His speed is beyond most anything I have ever seen. Moreover, his physical strength is impressive, and he appears to have a great amount of spiritual energy, as he would put it. Given that I have been lead to believe it is more powerful than magical energy, this should suffice to say we are dealing with someone easily on our level." Ultear replied.

That was somewhat of a white lie. She knew perfectly well that he was easily on Seigrain's level, but whether he was truly capable of fighting her and the company she kept remained to be seen. Still, she'd find out eventually how deep his powers ran.

"Now that is interesting…" Seigrain trailed off, sounding deep in thought.

"What is it you plan to do?" Ultear inquired evenly.

"For now, nothing. Ichigo Kurosaki has proven himself to be a valuable piece in my little game, and for the time being I merely wish to see what else he has in store for our little world." Seigrain replied with a wide smirk.

"As you wish…" Ultear replied, giving a light bow as she did so. This was, however, more of an attempt at hiding the content smirk on her face. It would have been a problem for her prospective plans if the blue-haired man had chosen to take direct action and outright attempt to remove him from the 'game', as he would say.