Chapter 2: New life, New enemies

Fairy tail Belongs to Hiro Mashima, Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I own nothing.

A special thank you to GreatKingRat88 for writing this for me.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this. Please feel free to leave a review.

Something like two weeks had passed since Erza's arrival in the afterlife, and she was adapting as well as could be expected under the circumstances. She still missed what she had lost, her old life with all the people it had entailed, but she was still doing well. The village, after its initial suspicion to her, had quickly warmed up to the idea of protection against bandits, and though they seemed to regard her with some caution, she was… welcome here. It felt good to think that whatever she had been in the past, she was doing some good here and now.

Not that she had had to do much heavy lifting- the bandits of the Blue Lizard gang hadn't been in touch since she had beaten their enforcers down so thoroughly; all had been relatively peaceful. So far, Erza hadn't had much to do- aside from practicing with her iron pipe (even with her lack of a real sword, it was fairly efficient), the most she did was help bring in the crops.

That was what she was doing right now, holding a big basket of corn. The afterlife was so absurdly like real life; who would ever have thought that spiritual matter would take the shape of corn?

Erza's musing were interrupted by a group of cheering little children, surrounding her as she walked back from the field and towards the village. As much as the adults were hesitant to accept her, the children were not- she was something like a hero to them, after that day she first arrived. She didn't mind it much.

"Hey sis!" One of them cheered, a black-haired little tyke. "You going back to the village? Can we come along?"

"Yes, you should." She nodded. "It's not safe for little children to be wandering about outside the village, you know that.

"Humbug!" Another kid exclaimed, beaming with pride that he knew such an adult word. "We'll be fine. If a bad man comes, you'll whack him really hard, won't you? Everyone's afraid of you, sis!"

"Mhmm…" She murmured. People were indeed afraid; not something she liked to be reminded of. Still, he was just a child, and she couldn't hold it against him. "Of course I will. I won't let anybody hurt you, you hear?"

The children smiled, laughing.

"But," she said, deliberately sounding strict, "don't make my job harder by endangering yourselves. You should be with your parents, shouldn't you?"

"Y-yes, sis." One of them stuttered.

"Good." She smiled, dropping that act. "Now run along- I have work to do."

Giggling, the children ran off to do whatever- somehow, she doubted all of them would run straight to their parents.

It was funny how that worked- as it turned out, it seemed almost nobody found their actual relatives in the afterlife- which took most of the joy out of afterlife to begin with- but people still formed families. With no memories of their parents, these children had all found foster parents, most of which were just as loving as any parent should be. Sad as it was that people did not seem to find each other after death, the bonds of affection still existed. It was heartening.

This afterlife was… quite tolerable. She had expected much more, but what she had right now made her feel content- to a degree, at least. She still couldn't remember her old life, where she had come from, what friends she had had- only that she had been very happy, and that she had treasured those she left behind.

What had it been like, she wondered? Had she had a lover, a husband who she left mourning? Children? Well, not likely- but there were friends. A lot of them, she was sure. It was the strangest feeling, to miss something you couldn't even remember.

Still, this was… okay. She made a difference here. She kept people safe. That was enough. One day she would go out, find out anything she could about this world, find out what connection there was to the world of the living- she had heard there was a place called the court of souls, where shinigami lived, where there was information; she might start there. But for now, she was needed here.

Lost in thought, she walked back to old man Getsu's place.

The old man was busy muttering to himself, a quirky habit that Erza suspected had to do with his age- strange, but harmless.

"Are you all right, old man?" She said quietly, trying not to startle him.

"You!" He said, looking up. "You're late." She wasn't, not exactly, but she humored him.

"Sorry. The kids tagged along, and you know how they are."

"They followed you outside the village? So stupid- it's not safe." He muttered.

"Well, there's not much I can do about it. I'm not their mother." She said, shrugging. "What's so dangerous, anyway? There's no bandits around, and I haven't even seen one of those, what were they called, hollows since I got here."

Getsu looked her right in the eye, and there was steel there, different from the tired old man from just a moment ago. "You wonder what's 'so dangerous'? You never did see a hollow- so you wouldn't understand."

"I could try." Erza said, frowning. People here were terrified of them; they'd avoid speaking about them as if the mere mention would summon them there. Grown men would tremble at the thought of one appearing, and Erza never understood.

"Then listen carefully." Getsu said. "Exterminating them is a shinigami's job, but out here, they don't always come in time- if they come at all. So we live in fear of the hollows, and hide whenever one comes near."

"Are they all the same?" She asked curiously.

"No." Getsu shook his head. "Some are huge. Some're smaller, but all are much bigger and stronger than us. And when you see one face to face…" he trailed off, a look of dread on his face.

"They're scary?"

"When you see one face to face, it's pure malice bearing down on you. So much power, only wanting to kill you for food, and there's nothing you can do about it. Those big white, bony masks, those red eyes- it's a living nightmare." He shuddered.

"Did you ever do that? See one up close, I mean?"

"I- yes." The old man said hesitantly. "I don't like to talk about it- but if it helps you realize what they are, then…" He stared out into space, falling silent for a little while. "I was young, only a few years in this afterlife. This same village- but not the same people."

"Were they killed?"

"Not all of them, not then." He said, looking pained. "But… it was one night, when we all were asleep, when I heard a noise- a scream. Me and a friend headed out to see what it was- and down the street it was, bigger than a bull, long, bony head with big sharp teeth- and it was chewin' on a little girl. My friend, he-" he choked up, just slightly, before continuing, "he tried to help. He hit the hollow. Then it hit him back, and he went down. Then… I saw him being eaten. It just stood there, eating my friend without a care in the world, and I was paralyzed. I was sure I'd die- but when it was done, it just gave me a look and walked away." He shuddered again, and there was a tear in his eye. "They're real monsters, Erza, and if we don't have help from the shinigami, there's nothing we can do. Don't ever fight them- we can't lose you."

"…I see." She said, feeling moved.

"Promise me. It's too dangerous- you're strong, but they are so much stronger. Promise!"

"I promise." Erza said reassuringly. The old man's tale was… pitiable, and she felt for him- but somehow, she felt unafraid. It was as if she was used to this sort of thing- had she been some kind of monster hunter before?

"These shinigami, though," she asked, "what do you mean they sometimes don't come?"

"They come only if they are close enough. And even then, there's usually time for a hollow to do whatever he pleases."

"Shouldn't they be your protectors?"

"What they should be and what they are, are different things." Getsu said glumly. "They don't seem to care much- too busy guarding noble lands, I bet."

Erza frowned. Some protectors they were- but then again, maybe she didn't know everything she needed to know.

Some time later, after a quick lunch, Erza headed out to a small glade not far from the village. Even though she still had only an iron pipe for a weapon, even though she had nobody to spar with, she still needed to train somehow- to keep fit, to hone (or remember) whatever skills she had. Without delaying, she began stretching, exercising- jogging, training her muscles, doing pushups, even testing the weight and strength of her iron pipe as if it were a sword. One hour, two hours passed, and soon she was covered in sweat, her muscles burning. It was a good pain, the kind that signaled progress. Finally having had enough, she tumbled down in a sitting position, sitting herself cross-legged against a tree, closing her eyes. Relaxing herself, she began to meditate, reflecting on what had happened to her so far- and who she was, who she had been. It was still a mystery; no luck yet.

Yet, she could feel herself growing… stronger, stronger every day. Right now, when it was quiet, her body worn out and her eyes closed, it was almost as if- for lack of a better word- she could see it, see the power that made her so strong. Reiatsu. Reiryoku. Spiritual matter, making up her very being just like atoms- and there was such a large pool of it forming. When first she had come here, she had barely been able to feel it at all, burning so much energy at once, but slowly she was beginning to control it. It was like a valve, a tap controlling the flow of water- only the water, in this case, was like a bursting river, and she was barely holding it back. And she still had no idea whether she was strong or weak. Strong, compared to the lowly endowed villagers, certainly, but compared to a shinigami? A hollow?

As she sat there, the image of her power formed in her mind- like a big blue ball of wibbly, wobbly, spiritual-ish… stuff. All hers to use if she could just refine it, control it-

And then her concentration was broken. There had been a rustling in the bushes, something small. Carefully, she extended her reiatsu, letting it clash with the reiatsu all around her, reading it. Small, in size and shape- probably a child. Smirking, she grabbed at the ground until she found a small pebble, hurling it right at the reiatsu source. There was a small cry, and Erza opened her eyes. From behind a bush, rubbing his head, came one of the children who had been following her around- Kitsu, a black-haired little boy.

"It's not very polite to spy on a lady, you know." She said, pretending to be stricter than she really felt.

"S-sorry, sis." The boy said awkwardly, rubbing his head. "It's just that- you're uh, you're really cool and I wanted to see how you train to fight."

"Then ask." She said, sounding friendlier. "I sensed you- you can't hide."

"I hid up until now." The boy said cheekily, now relaxed enough to smile. She wasn't really upset- the children around here were, for the most part, not terrible to be around.

"Well, you run away now." She said, getting up to her feet. "I'm heading back now, and you really shouldn't be out here- it's not safe, they say."

"Pfft." The boy said. "They're just afraid. They're not strong like you, sis."

"Listen to your mother and father." She said, trying to sound stern- in a not too convincing manner.

The child nodded, running off, in all likeliness not the least bit deterred from wandering outside the relative safety of the village- and right now, wasn't it safe? Erza was not one to beat her own drum, but if the bandits in the area were anything like the one she beat when she came here, then her village would be quite safe- and hollows; people were terrified of them, but how often did they really come? Could she not fight that kind of monster, too?

Lost in thought, Erza decided it was enough training for the day, wandering aimlessly around the nearby forest- a walk was a good way to round off training, and she didn't quite feel like going back just yet.

She walked for something like perhaps half an hour, not straying into territory she didn't know yet- getting lost would be pretty bothersome- slowly letting her muscles relax.

Finally getting hungry, she decided to head back- there'd be dinner of a kind soon. But then, as she was walking past a hill, she felt something- something strange, like a mild tug, like a reiatsu source; something different. This was new- and whatever it was, it was just past that hill. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she decided that her meal could wait just a little longer, leisurely strolling up the hill, trying her best to sense this strange source of energy. She still wasn't very good- she could only get a very rough sense of what the reiatsu looked like; her range was pretty poor. But as she came closer, there was a feeling of unease in her gut, getting stronger as she approached the hill's top, stronger and stronger- something distressing, and it was this source of reiatsu. It was different, and felt… wrong, somehow. Moving with a bit more caution, she got to the hill top, standing next to a tree. Carefully, she looked around, and very soon she saw it.

It was chilling; the shock registering before anything else. Down there was a long, reptilian creature with lanky, long legs with spikes jutting out here and there, a big bulky body, and… although its back was turned on her, she saw it- the white. It had a mane of fur, but past it there was a bone-like collar of bleached white. Most of all, there was power- power, raw malevolent power radiating from it; she felt it now, strands of reiatsu washing over her like wind. It was as if the creature was entirely unconcerned with who might find it, who might see it- it was ill-intended ease of a kind that only a predator would exude, and she knew- she knew, seeing it there- that it had to be a hollow.

Gone was her confidence, her ignorant presumption of fighting- this was a monster, and it radiated power she couldn't compete with. Sinking to her knees, hugging the tree, she looked, unable to run, move forward or raise and arm in offense or defense.

The creature, looking like some strange amalgam of a lizard and a lion, was feasting on a deer- a small meal, because it was the size of a small house. Its white mask was covered in blood, guzzling down the dead animal, skin, bone, teeth and sinew along with the meat. After finishing up, it lazily stretched its limbs, and then looked around. It looked away from her, and Erza prayed, hoped, it would leave. For a moment it looked like it would- but then it turned its head towards her, and Erza could see its face- a big, white mask, triangular in shape, with two short horns. Big teeth, looking like a human's- but so wrong, so big, like a perversion of the real thing. She felt its aura more than ever before, and she realized what she felt was terror, being faced with a monster so much stronger.

And then, it said,

"I feel you, little soul."

Its voice was an amused tone of assurance and mild interest, malevolent like a predator looking down on a mouse. Finally breaking the spell, Erza got to her feet, and started running, running, running- she ran, back toward the village, fast as her legs could carry her, until her lungs ached from the exertion. Once she saw the village again, she finally slowed down. She hadn't been pursued, she saw- she could feel nothing, nothing coming for her. Sinking to her knees, she sat down, exhausted, physically and emotionally. That… that was a hollow, a monster, and it was strong- stronger than her? What could she- what could she possibly do? How could she possibly be so vain as to think she could protect anybody, when a monster like that existed?

But as she sat there trembling, it was as if she could see a face, in her head- a cocky face, belonging to a young man with red hair. It was saying nothing, but it looked confident, unafraid- and Erza felt for a moment like she remembered everything. But the moment slipped away from her, but she kept one thing- she remembered indomitable spirit, a refusal to surrender even in the face of truly absurd odds, fighting to the last. Slowly, she got up on her feet. This was not her way; lying down and cowering was not her way. If that monster was so strong, then there was an obvious answer: get even stronger. Fight it to the death if it came here. And if she lost, buy as much time as possible for everyone else to get away. She'd protect this place, one way or the other- that was the Fairy Tail way.

Whatever Fairy Tail was.

The rest of the day passed quickly, the experience still staying with her. There was cooking, chores, people- but it was all a little like a dream, compared to what had just happened; her fear and the resolve that had been born out of it. Before she knew it, she was in her meager bed, under her simple, unwashed blanket, drifting into sleep.

She slept heavily, but her dreams were haunted, white faces looking down on her, coming down to swallow her whole.

And then she was awake, sitting upright in her bead with a start, feeling disoriented. Recovering, she got up, and after grabbing a quick breakfast- just some corn porridge- she headed out into the village. As soon as possible, she'd go out to train, train, train even more, until her muscles burned- and then some.

As it happened, her plans to train were thwarted before they even began- as soon as she got out on the village's one street, she saw the commotion- people gathered in a large crowd, talking worriedly. Quickly, she hurried up to the villagers, wondering what could be so important- at this point, most people were out working. As she got there, she saw one man talking excitedly, people around him murmuring, concerned looks on their faces all round.

"What's going on?" She demanded. "What's happened?"

"It's Taiji, miss!" The man exclaimed. "I found 'im- or what was left!"

"What?"

"I was goin' out to tend to my crops, and I found an arm and a head- Taiji's! There was blood all over the damn place, too!" He wailed. "We're all done for, I tell you!"

"It has to be a hollow." One of the farmers said morosely. "And things were going so well…"

"Then I'll find it." Erza said, feigning confidence- and at once, the crowd fell silent.

"You'd… find it?" Another farmer said, sounding incredulous.

"To do what, get killed?" The man, the one who had found Taiji, retorted. "Bandits' one thing, but hollows- that's outta our league, even if you're real strong." He shook his head, looking defeated.

"We have to send word to the Gotei Juusantai." Another man opined. "They're the only ones who can do anything."

"They won't get here till two days from now even if we send word right now!" One woman complained. "We- we're-"

"It's not hopeless." Erza said decisively. "Send word. Meanwhile, I'll go after it. I'm the strongest, so that means I'll be the tastiest, doesn't it?"

There was a murmur of approval from the crowd- the idea of drawing attention away from them, to her, did seem to go down well.

"All right." She said. "You." She pointed to the man who had found the body. "Show me where you found him."

The man was shaking, but the look on Erza's face was motivation enough- she was in no mood to mess around, and soon the two of them were heading out of the village. Erza tried to remember what his name was- Kasu or something of the like, she thought.

He led her towards his fields, towards a place she hadn't seen much of before- there really was a lot of land around them, and growing crops, that was a necessity.

Before too long, though, Kasu had led her to the outside of a field. The plants looked healthy, ripe- almost ready for harvest. It was such a fine picture of life that the contrast of a mostly eaten corpse lying beside them, blood spread all around, was all the greater. Kasu put a hand over his mouth, looking like he would hurl, and Erza couldn't blame him. The corpse was badly mutilated- there were parts of a skull, a large piece of spine, and half an arm. Aside from some wobbly, bloody bits that Erza didn't want to guess what they were, that was all what was left. Fighting the urge to walk away, Erza kneeled down, inspecting the remains closely. There were teeth marks- large, big teeth marks, where the bones had been gnawed. Whatever had killed this poor man had taken its time to enjoy its gruesome meal. It was sickening.

"Kasu, right?" She said, turning to the farmer.

"Y-yes, ma'am." The man said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Run back to the village and get a sack, or something."

"Ma'am?"

"There's not a lot left of this man, but he deserves a funeral nonetheless." Erza said resolutely. "And I don't know about you, but I'm not keen on carrying these pieces by hand."

"Y-yes, ma'am. Of course, ma'am." Kasu said, turning around and marching, running away. He was probably relieved to be away, and in all honesty, so she would be too. Still, Erza forced herself to stay, to look at the carnage. This was what this world was- beautiful harvests on the one hand, but blood and death on the other, and the only way to preserve the worthwhile things, she realized, was to fight for it. She would have to fight this hollow eventually, or it would just happen again, and again, and again.

After a while, Kasu came back with a small sack. Grimacing, Erza went about the messy job of collecting the bloody remains- but it had to be done, and done it was. After washing her hands in a nearby stream, she headed back to the village, carrying an all too light sack.

There was a summary funeral, after a hole had been hastily dug behind the poor man's house, with his neighbor saying a few words in memory of him. Erza couldn't stand it- when they began filling the grave, she left, heading back to her home.

Once there, she sat down on the floor, trying to meditate. But every time she tried to gather her thoughts, the image of those gnawed corpse pieces appeared before her eyes, haunting her.

Eventually, old man Getsu came in, interrupting her. Where he had been, she didn't know, but she almost felt grateful- she had no idea where to go next. Fight the hollow, sure, but how? Where would she even find it?

"I hear you saw something right awful." Getsu said gently, walking up to her.

"They say right." She said, sighing. "Old man, I…" she stopped herself, trying to find the words.

"Yes, child?" He took a seat opposite of her, slowly crossing his legs.

"The other day." She said, breathing heavily. "The other day, I saw it."

"The monster?" Getsu said urgently.

"I saw… a hollow, yeah. I think it was, at least- it fit your description, and it felt so… evil." She shuddered.

He nodded. "They are evil, child. To the bone."

"I was so sure I could handle that." She said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "But when I saw it… I was afraid, Getsu, I was so afraid. It was like looking at a nightmare."

"They are the stuff of nightmare. Nobody should feel ashamed to be afraid of them- not even someone like you. We are afraid of storms, of natural disasters, and we are afraid of hollows too. We cannot do anything- the likes of us cannot fight them."

"But that's what I have to do, old man." She said quietly.

"You mustn't!"

"Yes, I have to." She said resolutely. "Even if it kills me, even if I'm afraid. I… when I was alive, I was someone who could fight, I am sure of it- and I'm strong. I'm our best bet, and someone has to do something, even if it just stalling it till there's help."

"And if you die, horribly?"

"Then that's what happens."

"For people you've known less than a month?"

Erza stood up. "If I don't do it, who will?"

She grabbed her iron pipe, and walked towards the door.

"Well, don't expect me to feel sorry for you when you get yourself killed!" Getsu shouted grumpily after her.

"I won't." She said, opening the door. She had decided- to battle it was, and it was an oddly relieving feeling. Frightening, sure, and there was anxiety and hesitation too- but having set her mind on this, even if it meant staking blood, pain and struggle, felt much better than the fear and uncertainty that had stalked her since she had seen the monster. Stopping only to grab some food from one of the village traders- this could be a fairly long trip, after all- she headed out, back to where she had first seen it. She would start there, and then scour the surrounding area- the entire district, if she had to- to find it. She was the biggest reiatsu source around here- she would be the tastiest target for a monster like that.

Resolutely, she marched out into the wilderness, carrying only her pipe and a small sack for food. She walked at an even pace, all day until evening. The landscape around her changed-more hills, more rocks, more trees. No wonder they farmed in the flatter lands.

Finally, as sun began to set, she decided it was enough for the day. Sitting down under a tree, she leaned back, letting herself relax. The ground wasn't soft, and the night was chilly, but it wasn't too bothersome. She wished she knew some shinigami magic; maybe then she could have lit a fire.

Then, best she lay back trying to sleep, she sensed… something. Her first instinct was a hollow, and she sat bolt upright- but upon closer inspection, it was very much not a hollow. It was a small reiatsu signature, it was…

"Come out, Kitsu." She said sharply.

From out a bush, the boy came, letting out an awkward laugh. "You caught me, sis…"

"Good grief, you kept up with me all day?" She said, trying to sound irritated- but it was fairly impressive for a child, she had to admit.

"They all said you were going out to slay the hollow!" The boy exclaimed. "Don't you see- I had to see that!"

"Slay it- or get slain. And then what happens to you?" She chided.

"You won't lose." He said confidently, with the certainty only a child or a fool could provide.

"You're a real dummy, you know that? Your parents will be worried sick- you should go home?"

"I can't go home now. A little kid walking all that way himself, when a hollow is around?" He grinned.

She sighed. "I should slap you silly, you know." She said, realizing she wasn't very good at playing strict at the moment.

"But you won't. Because you're cool, and nice, and really pretty-"

"No flattery." She said sharply. "You're staying, if only because I can't march you back myself- but if there's any sign of trouble, you go hide. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sis!" Kitsu said, looking pleased.

"Good grief…" she mumbled. But despite herself, not being alone felt… good, even if it was just a silly kid who was too brave for his own good.

Flayer looked at the two little creatures from afar. The woman radiated power- she would make a fine meal, enough that he could remain safe in Hueco Mundo for a long time; perhaps even enough to trigger an evolution of his power. That would be something, to become a Menos… he licked his teeth in anticipation. It really was a lucky catch- she had lots of power, like a shinigami, but she wasn't using it right, and she didn't have one of those accursed weapons either. She had run away from him the other day- he had been full, and not really too interested in a chase. But now he was hungry again, and she… she would make a fine meal. Killing one of the worthless creatures she lived with had worked really well, too- she was no shinigami, but she had the same naïve idea that she needed to protect. Heroes were so easy, so exploitable. Still, he had to be careful- he had lived for decades as a hollow, and he hadn't gotten that far by taking unnecessary risks. He could pounce on them now, but what if she woke and proved stronger than he had expected? No, better not risk it- an ambush would be better, at a time and place chosen by him.

Still, he was hungry, and a snack would be just about right now. Carefully, he snuck closer, moving quietly despite his bulky, reptilian body. Taking one careful step at a time, he came close enough. It was just a small kid next to her, but it would do- he could eat it later, and it would give this hero a reason to come after him, come right where he needed her to be. Reaching out a monstrous hand, he grabbed the kid, clamping a finger over its mouth. The boy woke, wiggling, trying to scream, but it was too late- he was taken, silenced. Flayer licked his teeth again, drooling slightly. This would be worth staying longer here in Soul Society, so well worth it.

The next day, Erza Scarlet woke up alone. The sun was only now rising, the dark of night receding. She got up, rubbing her eyes- she was tired still, but the ground was not a very comfortable bed to start with. She began digging in her pack for some breakfast, when she looked around- and realized that little Kitsu was not there anymore. Quickly snapping fully awake, she looked around, getting to her feet.

Gone. He was gone, without a trace anywhere. He wouldn't have run off on his own, would he? No- that wouldn't make sense. He wanted to come along with her, and even if he left for home, why would he do it in the night? Urgently, she began to look around for any trace, any sign left. Had he been taken by bandits? If so, why hadn't they tried to take her too? Could it be the hollow-

It could. In the ground, just twenty odd feet from where she had slept, she saw footprints; big, huge footprints from a creature with three clawed toes, leading up to her camp site- and then away from it. There was no doubt- Kitsu had been taken by the hollow. She could see no blood though, not around where she had slept, or around the footprints. Feverishly, she looked around for traces of blood, hoping to whatever powers might listen that she would find none.

As luck would have it, after fifteen minutes of searching, she could see no blood- there was still hope he might be alive. Erza stopped, taking deep breaths- she couldn't lose her calm now. Thinking carefully, she wolfed down some bread and corn- she needed breakfast, and there was no sense in hunting a hollow on an empty stomach.

All right, what could she make of this? She wasn't a great detective, but some things seemed apparent- the kid was not dead, and the hollow hadn't pounced on her in her sleep. Why? She would have been vulnerable. If the hollow had done this, then there was some design to it, some purpose.

Quickly, she began walking, trying her damnedest to sense for reiatsu signatures while thinking. Did it want to lure her into a trap? Maybe. That could explain kidnapping the child. Or maybe it was just malice; these creatures were supposed to be evil through and through.

Her mind plagued with fears and doubts, a thousand and one grim scenarios playing through her head, she walked through the forest trying to follow the hollow's trail. If Kitsu died, it would be her fault- she had been there, right next to him, and he had been taken without her noticing. What kind of protector was she?

After a couple of hours, just when her doubts had almost turned to hopelessness, she felt it- just a tinge of reiatsu, different from anything else around her. Quickly, she hurried in its direction, the sensation getting stronger and stronger.

Flayer waited impatiently, whipping his tail. He had smelled the stupid woman all day, sensing her get closer, and he had been letting his own reiatsu pump high so she could find him. He was perched high on a tree, an ancient, thick tree overlooking a glade. The boy was there in the middle; he would make for good bait as he came down from above. Slowly, he suppressed his reiatsu. Now, all he had to do was wait.

Erza was running, hopping across stone and wood to get there. She could sense Kitsu now, but the hollow's signature was fading- had it run away? Never mind; she had to help, had to save him somehow. In this moment, with adrenaline pumping through her system, all her senses seemed enhanced, like every smell of the forest was known to her, like every detail of every rock and tree was noticeable, like she could sense anything-

And there it was. In the middle of a glade sat the boy, on a tree stump, looking terrified. Quickly, Erza rushed towards him.

"Sis, look out!" he cried, as she entered the glade. Erza, reacting on instinct, spun around-

And then he was on her. The monster pounced on her, its claws slashing at her, tearing her kimono. The impact sent her flying like a rag doll, and it was all she could do to keep a grip on her iron pipe. Not letting up, the hollow hopped on top of her, pinning her arm to the ground, sinking its claws into her side. She could see its face, up close- it was ugly, terrifying, like the face of death. Its breath stunk, and Erza moaned in pain.

"So simple." It said, sounding smug. "You are all so stupid, little souls. You are fit only to be my prey." The monster opened its maw, and at the last second, Erza broke her arm free, swinging the pipe as hard as she could. It didn't do much- the hollow's head veered to the side, but it seemed unharmed. It did, however, give her the time to get up on her feet.

"You really are strong, aren't you?" It said, licking its teeth. "You'll make a fine meal- I can already taste your blood."

"I'm not dead yet." Erza said, standing up with her head held high. "And I'm not going to die here, either."

"You talk big, but I can smell it on you- the fear. You reek of it." The hollow cackled evilly.

"Come find out how afraid I am, then!" Brandishing her pipe, Erza braced herself for the worst.

"With pleasure."

And the hollow leapt forward.

And so ends chapter 2. I understand a lot of you were probably hopping for the battle itself to occur within this chapter, but I believe that building up tension was the right thing to do. Besides, this gave my writer more time to work on the upcoming battle. You wont be disappointed, I promise.

How will Erza fare against this new enemy without the use of her magic and no zanpaktou? Well, the only way to find out is to keep on reading.

In other news however, the day that im posting this chapter has something special going on. Tonight, toonami airs the final episode of the Bleach Anime While ive seen most of the anime subbed and I read the manga every week, I truly got into the series thanks to the dub. Been watching it for 5 years. 5 very fun years. Its sad that its all over.

However, I still believe that one day, the anime will return and we can get the conclusion to the 1000 year blood war arc in anime format.

Anyways, I hopped you enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in a review. Reader feed back is HIGHLY appreciated.