Chapter 16: The Decisions we have to live with 2/2

"Let her go!" She demanded in her most authoritative tone. "Kujira Sengi, you are under arrest! Let go of her, or you make things worse for yourself in the end!"

"Yeah?" Kujira said, his eyes wild and his tone trembling with rage, with fear, with uncertainty. "That so? Because the way I'm looking at it, she's my only leverage right now."

"Let her go and fight me one on one," Erza said, slowly moving toward him, as he began to back out of the pub, still holding on to Momo.

"Fight you? You're a high ranking soldier. I don't think so," Kujira said, continuing to slowly back away, out on to the street. The entire pub was watching them now, hundreds of eyes on them all at once.

"If you know I'm much stronger, then you know you can't run away either," Erza said, hoping to reason with him. This was bad- Momo was inexperienced, she might do something stupid… or he might. He didn't look calm at all, and frightened people and weapons was not a good combination. "You can't kill her, because if you do, you lose your leverage. And if that happens… whatever gods there are have mercy on you." She scowled, her tone ice cold. "And for as long as you hold her, you can't move anywhere fast enough to escape me."

"You put that sword away or I'll cut her throat!" Kujira sneered.

"No, you won't," Erza said, hoping dearly that she was right, "leverage, remember? This is not going to end well, no matter what you do. Cut your losses. Give up, and I'll recommend an easier sentence. Prison, not death."

"So I choose between being killed, or put in a cage for the rest of my life?" Kujira snarled. "I don't fucking think so!" He grazed the blade against Momo's neck, and she yelped as it drew blood.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Erza," She managed.

"It's not your fault," Erza said.

"I'm still here," Kujira said, still looking erratic, "and you know what? I don't like my options. So maybe I just kill her, and get a clean death here and now. Maybe that's my best option, yeah?"

"You could try," Erza said. She felt that sinking feeling, like her heart was falling out of her chest- Momo couldn't die. That was not acceptable, not under any circumstance. Not after how she had saved her that first time, not after how close she had become with her, how she had let her in… she couldn't stand it. Not again. Never again.

It was funny how time could slow down sometimes, how a second could feel like an hour. In the span of two seconds, a hundred thoughts raced through Erza's head-

She couldn't kill him. It was not the Fairy Tail way, it was wrong.

But there's no choice.

Doing that would change who she was forever. Could she really- could she look herself in the mirror after that?

But there really is no choice.

Maybe she could do something else. Desperately, she tried to think of some fantastical, outlandish stroke of luck, where Momo got free-

But there's no time, and no choice.

No! It couldn't be; this couldn't be the way she turned out, it was- she knew right from wrong, and…

But what would life be like without Momo? Knowing she had let her down, too?

Silently, her sword changed, turning into a spear.

"Momo, close your eyes," Erza said firmly. "Trust in me, and close your eyes."

Momo took a deep breath, and obeyed.

"Well, it's a fight now!" Kujira growled, and raised his sword, aiming to stab down into Momo's neck-

And time moved in slow motion. She could see the tip of the blade moving downward, a millimeter at a time, and her arm raised, lightning fast yet so, so slow…

One shot. One shot was all she had, and if it went wrong, she wouldn't just have failed Momo- she would have killed her. But if she didn't take the shot, she would be dead.

Sometimes, the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose.

Erza's arm lunged out, with all the strength and precision she could muster.

Momo could feel the criminal's grip around her loosen, let go, and he dropped down to the ground behind her. Quickly, she looked behind her. He lay there, in a growing pool of blood, Erza's spear jammed into his skull, at least a foot if its length having gone through it. The spear dissolved, and Momo looked back at Erza, as she wordlessly sheathed her sword, an empty, glassy look on her face.

Momo could feel tears stream down her cheeks, relief, joy- and concern, for Erza. Quickly, she raced to her, hugging her close. She seemed surprised at first, then clumsily returned her embrace.

"I… killed him," Erza mumbled. "He's- he's dead, because I- because I killed him…"

"You saved me!" Momo said, loud and clear, looking into Erza's eyes. "I'd be dead without you- that's what matters, Erza! You did what you had to do!"

"Yes," Erza mumbled.

"Don't let this get you down," Momo said reassuringly, "I mean, he was… a murderer. He was about to kill me. People like that don't deserve any mercy, do they? When you sink that low-"

"Who the hell are you to make that decision?" Erza snapped, taking a step back. "Who the hell are you, or I, to make a decision like that?"

Momo blinked, and sounding uncertain, she said, "…an officer, Erza. Shinigami. You had the right- the mission said dead or alive, and… under the law, you were right."

"To hell with the law," Erza said darkly. "Nobody should have that power over anybody. It should never be- never be!"

"Erza," Momo said softly, "people are killed every day. Sometimes you have to kill to save other people. There's no other way around it, I'm sorry."

"A last resort, maybe!" Erza shot back. "But this… I should never have left you alone."

"You had no choice. It was a last resort," Momo said firmly, "and beating yourself up about it isn't going to change that."

"…whatever," Erza mumbled, staring into the ground. She had raised her voice to Momo, just because she herself had been in shock, because she had killed somebody… it wasn't fair.

"Let's just, uh, go home, all right?" Erza said uneasily. "I'm- I'm okay. I'm not mad."

"You're not okay," Momo said, "but… yes, let's go back."

Things went back to normal easy enough- as normal as they could be, considering. Erza had feared Momo would be traumatized, that maybe she would resent her for the way she had acted- but she seemed to bounce back well enough. A day, two days passed, and Erza took what missions she could to distract herself- from what conflicted her, from the fact that she was now a killer, from everything. In the process, she even slayed a Gillian Menos, in a particularly vicious incursion in the soul society…

She had grown in strength. For her valour, she was given a pat on the shoulder and a day off- something she normally would have welcomed, but now… she did not want to be alone with her mind. It was like a fever, like a spectre haunting her every thought, an apparition of accusation and guilt. She was not used to that feeling. She did not want that feeling.

Which was why her free day was spent, until lunch, doing nothing but training- working her muscles till they were sore, until her vision went blurry, until she was starting to feel exhausted. Only then, panting and struggling to breathe, did it feel better. But a shower and a change later, the spectre was back, and it was only good luck that lunch was up next- lunch, with Momo again. She could be relied on, at least, to distract her- she could forget for just a few minutes how corrupt the men in charge were, and be reminded that her fellow soldiers were good people- good and decent, like Momo.

The lunch itself was a simple affair. The two of them sat by a simple restaurant near their division, pragmatic and simple as a soldier's kitchen should be. Noodles it was for the both of them, and Erza dug in- but found little in the ways of an appetite.

"So…" she started, almost a little desperate to find something to talk about.

"I know what you're thinking," Momo said, swallowing down a mouthful of noodles.

"You do?" Erza said nervously. She very much doubted it, but the very thought of being found out…

"You look all weird and tense," Momo said, nodding, "you're all… off. Something's obviously on your mind."

"That visible, huh?" Erza said, shifting in her seat.

"You never killed anyone before, did you?" Momo said quietly. "Sorry, I mean- if you're all right, talking about it…"

"No, no," Erza mumbled. Of course; what else would it be? "Go on."

"When I first started school, we all knew you were this tough, cool veteran who had been through so much," Momo said, her tone gentle. "It didn't occur to any of us that you never killed anybody before. But that's why you were so upset, wasn't it?"

"How do you figure?"

"You're a very good person, Erza," Momo said brightly, "you care about what is right and what is wrong, and you know what it is. You've been a shinigami for many years, too. So… if you react to that, for having taken the life of somebody like him… I couldn't think of any other reason."

"Well, you're right," Erza mumbled, "I still remember what it was when I was alive. I had friends, a whole… family of people who I loved, who loved me, who took me in from when I was a little girl. They taught me everything, about friends, about what I could and couldn't do…"

"They taught you not to kill," Momo nodded, "and because you were very strong and very good, you never had to. Is that right?"

"It is," Erza said, nodding. "I was in a guild… and it was close, many times, but I never had to kill. But… I'm starting to think that maybe I was just lucky."

"Lucky?" Momo said quizzically.

"Yes," Erza said, nodding, "lucky. Because it was close, many times before. I fought with a power not a lot of people could rival, and I fought people who were just as strong, or stronger. It almost seems miraculous that nobody really died. But… sometimes, you don't have a choice. I am starting to see that now."

"Yes…" Momo said cautiously, "sometimes, you don't. But still…"

"It's a last resort, of course," Erza said hastily. "If there was any other way…"

"But there wasn't."

"You know," Erza mumbled, sighing, "I imagined the world without you in it, and I couldn't bear it. It hurt just thinking about it. So I killed that man to save you, and… it feels like I did it for myself. A killer, because I wanted not to lose something- someone- who made me feel good…"

"That's ridiculous!" Momo snapped. "You did something bad, but it was a great thing at the same time!"

"I don't feel very great," Erza said flatly.

"You changed who you are, just to save me. That's… you are one of the best people I know, Erza, and I won't stand for you calling that 'selfish'!"

Erza leaned back, and smiled. Momo really was something else- so passionately honest, under that meek surface.

"You're right," She said, feeling a little better, "thanks, Momo."

"No problem," Momo said, emphatically taking another mouthful of noodles, almost as if assaulting it.

"Momo… why did you join the Gotei?" Erza asked.

Momo chewed, swallowed, and gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"I noticed that a lot of people here…" How would she put this? It would sound weird- judgmental, even. "A lot of people who come here, to become shinigami, they only seem to care about themselves. I came here because I wanted to help, but… I'm way up on a third seat, and I can't do very much to help anybody, and most of everyone just seems interested in, in… in making money, in the next fight, in the next day off when they can get drunk, in making a career." She sighed. "Sometimes, I feel like nobody remembers where they came from, the villages they leave behind and the people in them… and that's why I ask. You don't have to answer."

"I didn't want people to feel afraid," Momo said.

"What?"

"When you have power, out there… you are a danger to others unless you learn to use it," Momo said solemnly. "I loved the people out there- my gran, and Shiro-chan, and everyone else… but when you're strong, sometimes hollows come to seek you out. Or other people, who want to do no good. Sometimes, the best way to protect others is to leave. It sounds weird, but that's why I left. I wanted to learn to be as good as I could be, and help them all back home from a distance. That's what you did, wasn't it?"

"I never thought about it that way," Erza said ponderously. "To me, it just seemed I had to be there, for them, always… because what if I wasn't? They practically had to drag me to the academy."

"But you help them, by sending money back. I do that too," Momo said, nodding.

"That's good, yes," Erza said.

"Was that what you wanted when you joined, Erza? To help the people back home? You're already doing that- why so glum?"

"Um… what I want," Erza said evasively, "uh, that's… it's complicated. I guess you could say… I want more than just buying a bit of safety for one village. I want… I really want everyone out there to live their lives the way they want to, without having to worry."

"That's a nice idea," Momo nodded, "But… you can see that you can't protect everyone all the time, right?"

"No," Erza said, shaking her head, "but… I think we could do way better than what we do now. If we just tried."

"How?" Momo asked. This was a dangerous question- she had said enough already.

"Never mind that," Erza said, trying- and probably failing- to sound glib. "We have a lunch to finish- and after that, why don't we go take a trip to the bath house, or something? I could use a bit of relaxation."

"…all right, sure," Momo said, sounding perplexed, but still cheery. "We'll do that."

Just at her mind's horizon, the spectre loomed.

One more thing happened that week worthy of notice. On the sixth day of running, hiding, distracting herself, Erza was sent to the twelfth division- paperwork, requiring the signature of its captain for some reason or the other- she didn't even bother to ask what for. The place always made her uneasy, ever since that last time when she had witnessed its brute of a captain abuse his 'daughter' like she were some… thing.

Perversely enough, she almost reveled in that uneasiness- as uncomfortable as that was, it was less oppressive than knowing she had to give Aizen an answer… and knowing that when she had to give it, she already knew what it had to be. That when she did, nothing would ever be the same again.

So it was that she marched herself down the dank and dimly lit hallways of the science and research institute, down under the ground. It was a massive complex, she realized, closed off from all unauthorized members- she was let in only on the signature of her captain. Then, she had been pointed in the general direction of where Kurotsuchi, that foul man, would be… and it had taken her only ten minutes or so to get lost. She wandered around for perhaps half an hour or so, trying to find her way- lost, but mostly just irritated that somebody would build an underground complex with a distinct lack of clear direction signs or maps.

It was then, in the midst of a building frustration, that she came upon a door. Somewhat opened, it had a simple sign on it, that read:

SAMPLE 16

Upon closer inspection, it read also, 'under the supervision of chief researcher Kurotsuchi Mayuri'.

Well. It was no office, by the looks of it- but where might you find a researcher if not in a lab? It was worth looking at. Slowly, she opened the door, and stepped inside. It was brightly lit; there was a squeaky clean floor, a messy table full of notes and various odd tools, scalpels, screws, drills-

But then her eyes travelled across the room, all of it, past the normal, expected things… and she saw it all. Everything.

Strapped to a metal table was a body, skinny and frail. Its stomach and chest had been carved open, two large flaps of skin neatly cut up and held in the air by hooks from the ceiling. There was blood on the floor, spilled in little drops, and soiled surgical appliances on a small portable table next to it. It was- had been- a man once, it seemed. It lay there on the table, naked except for a simple pair of pants, and Erza fought the urge to vomit. His fingers were broken, some of them severed. One arm had been cut open, stripped of its flesh, the bone laying naked to the air… with colourful little tags attached all over it. Both feed had been surgically removed- and the wounds had healed too, leaving a scar. For how long had this poor man been here, trapped inside this lab? Erza stumbled, shocked by the sheer horror of the sight, and put a hand on the table near the door to keep herself stable.

She took a few deep breaths, a hand clasped over her mouth. Dear god! How long had this gone on? Was this what they did? Was it Kurotsuchi's ploy, or…

The racing of her mind was interrupted, as she saw a journal lying there, a thick file of papers. Her fingers trembling, she picked it up. Against all better judgment, she opened it. She flipped through the pages- there were notes there, pictures of the man as he had been when first brought there, casual remarks of how he responded to pain, how his spiritual particles changed…

From one picture to another, she saw his degradation. A quincy subject, the journal said, captured and brought in from research. Slowly, over time, being reduced from a soul, a person, to… that. No- it was clear that whoever wrote this- Kurotsuchi, of course- never thought of him as a person at all. A subject, an item, something to pick at and see what made it tick.

Then, when she was reading, her minds peering into the monstrous depths of the monster who had done this, suddenly she heard a breath- a deep, sudden breath. She jerked, dropping the journal, almost jumping into the air. She looked around- had somebody seen her? Had he come back, that monster of a man?

No- nobody was around. It was empty…

Then she heard the breath again, and there was no doubting it. The corpse was alive. Trembling with every step, she walked closer. In the flayed-open chest cavity, she could see his lungs heave, move up and down as he took one breath after another. Finally, it was too much- Erza collapsed to her knees, retching, throwing up her lunch all over the floor. For at least a minute, maybe two, she heaved. Feeling violently sick, she finally wiped her mouth with her sleeve, feeling the bitter taste of gall in her mouth. She struggled up to her feet, breathing heavily. The poor bastard was alive.

"Kill… me…"

In disbelief, Erza heard the voice, quiet and raspy, weak and robbed of all power to do more than whisper.

"No, no," she mumbled, "no, it can't be…"

"Kill… me." The voice entreated. Erza walked closer, looking at his face. It was pale, hopeless, with a glimmer of desperation as the only sense of emotion left in his eyes. "Please. Just… let me… die…"

Erza staggered back. This was sample sixteen. How many more were there? She had to go- she couldn't stand another second of this. No- no running, she couldn't leave him- but she couldn't take him with her, he wouldn't survive, he was in no position to be moved…

What could she do? What could she do?

Acting as quickly as she could, she stumbled over to the table, feverishly and desperately looking for some way of freeing him. He was in no state to be moved- but damn it all, she couldn't leave him here, she couldn't leave knowing she hadn't even tried to help. Clutching at the shackle around his wrist, she tugged and tugged to no avail- the chains were iron, and charged with enough reiatsu to make them stronger by far than her own grip. Desperately, she tugged harder and harder, her fingers digging into the flesh of the poor quincy as she tried to get a grip on the shackles, wrench them off-

Then she heard a long, unmistakable 'beeeep', and next to the table she saw it- a heart monitoring machine, flatlining. In shock, she looked at it, at the wires leading between it and the quincy. One wire had been knocked from his socket, without her even noticing it, just by her feet. His life support has been cut, and mercifully, the poor man was now rapidly dying- or dead already.

With a sense of desperation, Erza looked around. There were some glass jars in the corner, she saw- chemicals with unpronounceable names, and a flame hazard sign. Not even thinking, she grabbed two, emptying their contents across the floor, with the desperate jerking movements of a madwoman. The liquids left a clear, sharp stink, but Erza barely even registered it. As if in a dream, she stepped back to the doorway, and raise her hand, holding her palm out towards the Quincy on the table.

"Oh lord," she mumbled, muttering the words through her teeth, "mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man, truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado number thirty-three: sokatsui!"

Kido was never her strong suit, but a fully chanted spell like this was no problem. Supercharged by her flaring reiatsu, the blue flames shot out, hitting the Quincy square in the chest, disintegrating him in seconds. In a matter of seconds, the lab was in flames, and Erza turned and ran. How she got out, she wasn't sure- but somehow, she later found herself far away from twelfth, out of breath and still in shock.

Not even bothering to report back, Erza walked out and away, outside the walls, her mind burning with the images of what she had just seen. She could still hear that raspy, desperate voice, begging to die; when she closed her eyes she could see his lungs heaving before her eyes, his broken body opened like a sack of wheat…

Somehow, without even thinking, she wound up at the graveyard, sitting before the final resting place of her three comrades- Remon, Sensuke, and Marisa. She sat there well into the night, just trying to make sense of the world. What kind of place was this that she had joined? Trained to be a part of for five years, served for many more? A bureaucratic tyranny without a care for justice, with a place of nightmares like that under their very noses? Was this what it had all been for, all that energy she had spent, the time she had invested in the hopes of making life better for herself and those she cared about? Feeling bile rise to her throat, she thought of her every last accomplishment- every hollow slain, every soul saved, every mission carried out, every commendation she had got, every promotion, every last pay check…

It was all poisoned. All of it had been in the name of that.

Desperately, she tried to reason- maybe they didn't know? Maybe Kurotsuchi had run this whole thing without anybody knowing? It was possible. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't make herself believe it, no matter how much she wanted it.

She had thought to be something like a hero. She never really meant to be heroic; she wasn't one to relish the spotlight just for doing what was right… but what she had meant to do, that was something people would call heroic. Making a difference. But now, no matter how she looked at it, she could only feel that she was a villain- a thug, a low-ranking brute enforcer of a corrupt and cruel organization. No, no- that had to be exaggeration, but… was it?

Aizen. He had sent her there. He had wanted her to see that, make her feel all of this. He had done this to her!

Resolutely, Erza got up, and under the pale moonlight she sped away back towards the Gotei, towards the fifth division's headquarters. She was not expected to answer till tomorrow morning- but she was in no mood to wait.

It was well past midnight when Aizen felt her reiatsu fast approaching his office. Inwardly, he smirked- everything had gone exactly as he had expected. He hadn't even needed to create an illusion about the twelfth division- Kurostuchi's experiments were well known to him, and they were all a scene of horror. No matter where she had gone, she would have seen what he needed her to see.

"AIZEN!" Erza barked, as she slid the doors open, barging into his office. She looked a mess; her clothes were singed, her hair was all over the place, and she had dirt and sweat all over her.

"You seem upset," Aizen said calmly, walking up and closing the doors behind them. "By all means, do tell me what is on your mind."

"You sent me there," Erza said under her breath, "you sent me down there. Why? Did you want me to say yes so badly?"

"I will not deny it," Aizen said, sitting down again. Of course, had he meant to truly manipulate her, it would not have been that obvious- this, too, was according to his will.

"You ask me 'why'. Is it not obvious? I showed you the truth, Erza, and the truth hurts."

"You…" Erza said, trembling with what had to be a little bit of rage- at him, at herself, at everything- and mostly a spirit in the process of being crushed. Good material for being rebuilt in a shape pleasing to him.

"For the longest time, you were made to believe you served a just and noble cause," Aizen said, removing his glasses, "and it's all too easy to believe. Almost anyone will want to believe what they do is right, whether it actually is or not. I have destroyed that illusion, just like mine was, because I owe you- and the whole of soul society- something better. Tell me, Erza, did I set that lab up? Did I craft some elaborate lie, to convince you? Or did it just confirm what you already suspected? That, I think, is what has made you angry."

"I am angry, yes," she said under her breath, almost hissing the words out.

"Good," Aizen said, nodding, "nobody should see what you have seen and not feel a righteous anger. But ask yourself, who are you angry with? Me- or yourself?"

"I am angry- angry with Kurotsuchi!" Erza spat. "That monster of a man, that, that- that beast, he's-"

"Employed by our superiors- who, I suspect, know all too well what he has done."

"…I want to burn it down," Erza said viciously. "That entire complex. Every sample he has. Everything destroyed. He has no right to that knowledge, not with how he has gotten it!"

Aizen resisted the urge to smile; the hate in her voice was so clear, so passionate and strong.

"An understandable desire," he said, "but perhaps not so prudent. What would you do- march there, break in and destroy it all? How long before he takes you- perhaps putting you on his table, too?"

Erza balled her fist, and slammed it onto his desk, cracking it in two.

"I can't let it go on," she hissed through her teeth. "He had one man there- a half-dead corpse, and he had done… terrible things to him. I burnt it all, but- but it was one of sixteen! And who knows how many more?!"

"I got the report, yes," Aizen said. "I covered for you, by the way- there will be no evidence linking you to the crime."

"Crime?" Erza said, something odd in her voice, like something had just broken. "Crime?"

"Under Gotei law, you would be responsible for an act of terrorism, I believe," Aizen said, feeling almost gleeful, "treason, perhaps, if the courts were so inclined. Gross destruction of property at the least."

"I gave him mercy," Erza breathed.

"Mercy is a crime under the law, then," Aizen said. "Tell me, can you look at this and not see that it needs changing?"

"It does!" Erza burst out. "It needs to go- the law needs to be changed, the whole damn society needs to change!"

"Then join me," Aizen said, feeling triumphant, "join me, and together we will bring balance to this world. We will rule this world together, creating a just and righteous place- one where corruption is purged, where science is done under a code of ethics, where the poor need not fear the rich. Can you tell me you do not want this, Erza?"

Erza breathed heavily. "I… I don't know what I want?"

Aizen leaned back in his chair. She did know, without a doubt, but she was still afraid- afraid to face the implications of having served the Gotei, knowing now what it stood for. Best not to push.

"The decision is always yours," he said, in a calm, soothing voice, "if you want to continue on as before, I will never speak of it to you again. But know this- you will not find it easy to resign. You cannot leave the Gotei- once you swear allegiance to them, then you are either their ally or their enemy."

There was a look of disbelief on Erza, and she stood quiet for several minutes. He could almost hear her beliefs shattering, her comfortable image of the life she had led finally reduced to rubble. It filled him with delight. Keeping himself in control, he kept quiet, staring into her eyes.

"Do you swear?" She finally said.

"Swear what?" He said curiously.

"Do you swear to make things better? Without- without killing… without killing more people than you need to?"

"I do," Aizen said, nodding affirmatively, "although… yes, I noticed- you accepted that we would need to kill on the way, to reach our goal?"

"Sometimes, you have no choice," Erza mumbled, "I see that now. I can't go through life with a sword and expect nobody to get hurt. I'm not that foolish. Not anymore."

"Good."

"But you must promise me!" She said insistently, almost desperately, "promise me, that what we do will make this a better world!"

"It will take time and patience," he said, slowly and deliberately, "but yes. I promise- when we are done, we will have created a better world. Swear your allegiance to me, and that is what I will give you. And in return, you will obey me, and help me build this new world order."

She stood quiet, a hopeless look on her face.

"…I'll do it." She finally mumbled, staring down into the floor. "I'll join you. I'll- I'll swear to you."

Inwardly, Aizen smiled widely. Just as planned.

INAPPROPRIATELY TIMED OMAKE TIME

The floor was littered with the corpses of fallen Jedi masters, and Darth Speculo stood tall, putting his menacing hood up over his face, his red light saber deactivating.

"Can you not see, Erza Scarlet, that the jedi order is corrupt?" He said calmly.

"No!" Erza said, trying to will herself to raise her weapon against her enemy.

"Join me, and together we shall bring balance to the force," He said, extending a hand towards her, "together, we will rule this galaxy! Take my hand, and we will rule this empire together, as master and apprentice!"

"…yes," jedi knight Erza said, falling to her knee, "I will join you… master Aizen."

"I name you… Darth Crimson," the sith lord said, cackling contentedly, "arise, my apprentice, and fulfill your DESTINY!"

And that was how Darth Crimson was born, conqueror of stars and definitely not a whiny Hayden Christensen.

Wow, quite a lot happened in this one huh? Erza having to take her first life, finding out the true horrors of the 12th division, and, finally, joining forces with Aizen! Yeah, bet NONE of you saw THAT coming did ya?

I do hope you all enjoyed the omake. I sure did. Expect more of those in the future.

Now, Erza taking a life...We all know that in cannon she possibly wouldn't be able to find the will power to do such a thing. I say POSSIBLY because I know that Erza values her friends more than even her own life, so if it was the ONLY choice, its not outside the realm of possibility. Add to the fact that she has been through a lot more crap than cannon Erza (Her death of her classmates just to name one)and is even MORE protective of her friends, this odds of this happening increase.

But, to the readers who think she made the descion too quickly and hasn't put enough thought into it, or that she got over it too quicly...just wait for the next chapter.

Also, Erza beating a Gillian off screen...Yeah, sorry, just didn't feel important enough to add to the story. Its cool yes, but it dosnt move the plot along. I just wanted you to all be aware that she CAN do that now.

But now that Erza of all people has decided to join up with Aizen, and after seeing what she saw in the 12 division...can you blame her? I cant stand the fact that the gotie 13 just lets mayrui do that kind of thing...and worse. Sad thing is really is that's CANNON. Mayuri may be on the side of the "good guys" but he is no saint. He's a monster. A smart monster who admittedly had a cool moment (he speech on perfection) but a monster non the less. (I don't even need to bring up poor Nemu now do I?) I just cant overlook the horrible things hes done.

If you like him, that's fine...I just cant.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I sure know that I did. Please leave a review on what you thought about this chapter. Reviews always give me more inspiration to continue to have this story continue and I LOVE the feedback, be it positive or negative.