Chapter 22: The Fairy queen and the Weaver Princess

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and weekly shounen magazine. I own NOTHING.

Thanks to Greatkingrat88 once again.

This, my readers, is a point ive wanted to get to for a while. Ive had this planned prior to chapter 10. Ultimately, this chapter, will bring with it, a change that will make things very interesting. I really, truly do hope that you all enjoy it.

With that, have fun.

Some time after she had become a shinigami, Erza had come to realize, she had stopped thinking of herself as human. Years passed by in the blink of an eye, it seemed, and living in the human world really highlighted it. Shinigami were, as far as she knew, immortal. The head-captain was rumoured to be over a thousand years old, and had never seemed weak for it. It was downright bizarre, then, to see how quickly humans passed through eternity, and even more bizarre to think that she herself had once been part of this cycle.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Ichigo had turned five, and Masaki had given birth to twins. Between work at the dojo, training with Yoruichi- who fought just like Soifon, who had more or less trounced Erza the one and only time they had clashed, making for challenging exercise- and spending whatever free time she had at the apartment, helping Masaki and Isshin make dinner, or look after Ichigo, or whatever needed doing… between all of those things, a week was like a moment, and a month like a minute. She had become like an older sister, or even a secondary parent- and though the apartment felt quite a bit smaller with children running around in it, Masaki and Isshin both were grateful for the help. Children were a handful and a half.

It was special, however quickly it seemed to pass, watching Ichigo grow up. Watching him take his first steps, say his first words, hearing a bright-eyed two year old say her name… it moved her deeply, in ways she didn't really know how to articulate. She wasn't sure she was the best of role models, but she tried- through unexpected and painful circumstances, she was now part of this family. She was auntie Erza, Ichigo's favourite playmate- well, after a raggedy teddy bear, that was.

Children were a handful, that was one thing she had learned. The twins, Yuzu and Karin, were good little children- they didn't cry much, and were mostly content, but even then it made them all exhausted, looking after the three of them. Ichigo was a seemingly unending source of energy, always finding ways to run around, or hide, or make little noises everywhere, never really getting tired. Which was why, this Saturday night, Erza was beginning to think she was in over her head. Masaki and Isshin were out, finally having found some time to themselves, and Erza had promised to look after them. The twins were sleeping like little angels already, but Ichigo… was not. She was supposed to do fun, simple things- read him a story, maybe watch some cartoons on the crummy TV they had, perhaps attempt baking cookies (and probably burn them in the process, but it was the thought that counted), but she had failed to anticipate the sheer mayhem small children were capable of.

Almost dying, that she could handle. Constant mortal danger, that she could handle. Learning kido, and mastering her reiatsu, that had been difficult. Earning a bankai, that had been hard. But all of these things were direct, easy to handle… and not nearly as intimidating as a laughing, energetic five year old high on sugar.

"Ichigo, get back here!" She cried, half running after the little kid. He had climbed up on a table, and was standing on it, laughing at the look on her face. He fell over, and Erza was just able to catch him before he fell down to the floor. He looked up at her, a big grin on his face.

Erza sighed. "You're a troublemaker, you know that?"

"Yup!" Ichigo said proudly, nodding and somehow slipping from her grip, down to the floor.

"All right, young man, why don't we put you to bed?" Erza said, knowing the moment that she said it that she should have demanded, not suggested. Kids didn't listen to suggestions, because kids were… kids.

"Nuh uh!" Ichigo said defiantly. "I wanna stay up late, I wanna play! I wanna go outside!"

"If you stay up too late, you won't be able to get up in the morning." Erza said. Why was she even trying to reason with him?

"No I won't!" Ichigo said, a habitual contrarian at this young age. "I can stay up waaay late and get up really early if I want to!"

"You say that now, but we have to drag you out of bed practically kicking and screaming every morning, don't we?" Erza said.

"I don't scream." Ichigo said. "Mommy's a meanie when she tries to wake me up like that. You're not a meanie, auntie Erza. Right?"

He blinked, and shot her some of the most adorable puppy-dog eyes she could imagine. It was hard to resist, but she knew at this point that the kid knew how to do that intentionally, and knew what effect it could have. Children, nature's instinctual manipulative bastards…

"Oh, I'm a lot meaner than you think." Erza said. "Not if you're a good boy, but I'll be mean if I have to."

"No you won't!" Ichigo said, sticking out his tongue. "You're too nice, auntie."

It was true; Masaki and Isshin were the real parents, and as such had to be firm with him. When he was angry about it, he'd come to her…

"I've done some very bad things." Erza said firmly. "I'm not always nice. But if you brush your teeth and go to bed like a good boy, I'll tell you a fun story about monsters before you go to sleep."

Ichigo looked up, then down, then looked her in the eye, seeming to contemplate her offer, weighing his options.

"Are they really nasty monsters?" He said hopefully.

"With huge, huge teeth and big mouths they use to eat people right up." Erza said. The thing about children, hyper as they were, they had their weaknesses. Like monsters, kids loved monsters, mainly because they had no idea what real monsters were. Still, if it kept him calm…

"…can I have a cookie first?" Ichigo said. It was against the rules, but still…

"Just the one, okay?" Erza said.

"Okay!" Ichigo said happily, and ran out into the kitchen. Erza followed him; by the time she caught up- just seconds, mind- he had managed to find the jar, open it, and eat two, already grabbing for a third.

"That's enough." Erza said, in what she hoped was a firm enough tone- she was never sure what was too harsh with kids. Gently, she grabbed his hand, and made him drop the cookie, putting it back in the jar.

"Chew it all up, then go brush your teeth. Understood?"

"Fine, auntie…" Ichigo grumbled, sourly and slowly making his way to the bathroom. Again, Erza followed- it seemed a bad idea to leave him unsupervised for a second.

Finally getting the little sugar monster into bed, Erza breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he wouldn't be satisfied without a story…

Dragging it out a little, Erza carefully tucked him in, sitting by his bedside.

"Now tell me a story!" He demanded, jerking around in bed. "I've been good, so tell me a story!"

"That's debatable." Erza muttered.

"De-bay-wha?"

"Never mind." Erza said, and sighed. "All right, a story…"

"With big, big scary monsters!" Ichigo insisted.

It suddenly struck Erza that she had many talents, and making up stories wasn't one of them. Um, maybe tell him about a happy little pony who lived in a- no, that wasn't exactly monster material. Maybe one about a dwarf, or a… damn it all, what could she say?

"Well, come on!" Ichigo said impatiently. "Pleeeeease?"

"…all right." Erza said. Without really thinking, she began,

"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a warrior princess. Her name was Crimson, and she had a very big club that she justsmacked people with-" Ichigo giggled, as Erza emphasized the word, "-and her hair was red, red as fire. Princess Crimson was a strong warrior, and she had to be, because there were monsters aaall around the land."

"Big and scary ones?" Ichigo asked cheerily.

"As big as a house," Erza said, and nodded, "bigger than a dinosaur, even. They had huge, huge teeth, with little saw blades that they used to maim people with, and big, big mouths that they swallowed people whole with. They had terrible white faces, and claws as big as swords."

Ichigo squealed with delight- big, monstrous claws struck a chord with the boy.

"But Princess Crimson was not afraid." Erza continued. "She would stand up to them, every time they came, and beat them very hard with her club."

"Did they die?" Ichigo said.

"Every time," Erza said, nodding. "She would hit them over the head, and knock their heads right off. There was blood… everywhere!"

Ichigo laughed with delight. "More!" He insisted.

Erza nodded. "For a very long time, Princess Crimson protected the people in her village. But then, one day the king of the land heard of her. He heard how beautiful and strong she was, and sent his men to come find her, so that she could become a knight, protecting the land."

"What's a king?" Ichigo said, sounding a little sleepier.

"It's a man who is in charge of a whole nation," Erza explained. "He can tell anyone to do anything, because he has all the power. Back in the old days, every country had a king- or a queen- to tell them what to do."

"Uh huh," Ichigo said.

"So, at first, Princess Crimson refused to leave her village. But the king's men begged her to come, and said she could help many more people if she became a knight under the king. Eventually, the princess gave in, and travelled to the king's great city. But she didn't know what awaited her there…"

"Was it a monster?" Ichigo said, his mind being somewhat on a single track.

"Not a monster, no," Erza said. "At least… not one with claws." She stopped herself, and took a breath. This was her story. Should she really…?

"Of course, she had many adventures on her way there," she said. "Do you want to hear about the dragon she had to fight on her way there? It was a large and dark beast, with scales and big teeth…"

"Yes," Ichigo said, nodding quietly. "How big was it?"

"Like five houses put on top of each other," Erza assured him. "But Princess Crimson was not afraid. With a sword that the king's men gave her, she found the monster's lair, and walked right up to it…"

Erza went on for maybe fifteen minutes, improvising a story about monster-slaying, drawn mostly from her own experience- and before she knew it, little Ichigo was asleep. Well, that… seemed to work well enough.

She smiled to herself, as she quietly and carefully stood up, walked out of the room, and closed the door. Taking care of children was not her strength. It was hard, frustrating, even infuriating… yet somehow, it was a pain she wouldn't trade for anything.

Time really did pass like it was nothing. Before she knew it, Ichigo was seven, and attending class. Isshin was working his way through med school, Masaki was keeping a part time job, and they were all doing well. With two parents, one working and the other in school, it often fell to Erza to pick Ichigo up from school, a chore she was glad to do. She'd walk him home, and listen to his excited chatter about his classmates, about what they were learning, about everything. Mostly, she would just keep quiet, and let Ichigo do the talking, something that seemed to suit him perfectly well. He got attention for his unusual hair, and Erza was resolved to keep an eye out for signs of bullying- that was not something she would tolerate.

Day after day ran past her, and despite her friends never leaving her thoughts entirely, somehow this was one of the happiest time periods in her life. She worked, she trained, she looked after Ichigo and the twins, she helped Isshin and Masaki… exile had turned out much better than she had thought.

One day, though, as she got ready to pick up Ichigo, she noticed something that stood out. It was nothing extraordinary- just a small girl, ginger like Ichigo, looking… alone. There was a crowd of students all around her, but nobody seemed to notice her. It was oddly sad.

Sad went to infuriating, when she was three, four girls walk up to the ginger, pulling her hair, mocking her, doing mean little sing-songs. Erza looked around- the teachers weren't far off, surely one of them would act? She wanted to step forward, but it wasn't her business… come on, somebody had to help her, right?

A minute or so passed, and the ginger girl looked miserable, on the edge of crying, trying to get herself away- but the other girls got in her way, continuing their childish torment. Something snapped inside Erza, and she marched forward in large, fast strides, right through the swarm of children exiting the school.

"HEY!" She said, as she got closer. "HEY! YOU!"

They didn't seem to notice her, still pulling at the girl's hair. Like a fury, Erza strode up, and grabbed the wrist of the closest bully.

"I said, HEY!" Erza said angrily.

"Wh-what?" Said the little girl she had grabbed, turning around to face Erza. Without even thinking, Erza raised her hand, and slapped her. She had enough sense to not hit too hard, but out of surprise, the girl fell over, and started to cry.

"Shame on you!" Erza said angrily. "And shame on you two, too! Picking on her like that- I ought to teach you all a lesson!"

She was not about to start hitting small children, of course- she had more restraint than that. But they didn't know that, and she wasn't about to let them know. Afraid, the three of them ran away. Erza turned to the little ginger girl, and kneeled down in front of her. She was crying, and if Erza had been a little calmer, she might have panicked a little- she had learned her way around children with Ichigo, but comforting them when they cried was still… difficult. As it was now, adrenaline coursing through her, she put an arm on the girl's shoulder and said,

"Hey, are you okay?"

The girl sobbed, but nodded.

"They're gone now. You're safe." Erza said, keeping her voice calm and friendly.

"Uh-huh," the girl said, red in the face, still crying.

"I'm Erza." Erza said, trying to distract her. "What's your name?"

"O-Orihime," the girl said, sniffing.

"Well, Orihime," Erza said, digging a handkerchief from her pocket, "you should dry those tears. You'll be fine."

Orihime nodded, and hesitantly took the handkerchief.

"Do they pick on you a lot?" Erza asked. Orihime just nodded, looking like she might burst into tears. Erza sighed, feeling the anger return. Children, sometimes wonderful, sometimes little monsters…

"Well, where's your mommy?" She asked.

"Don' have one," Orihime said, and sniffed. "Big brother looks after me."

Erza felt her heart swell with sympathy. No parents at this young age? She knew how that felt- and with how she helped look after Ichigo, knowing what that meant, she felt an enormous pity for a child having to grow up without it.

"Well, where is he?" She asked.

"I gotta wait for him," Orihime said. "He works a lot, so he gets late."

"How late?" Erza asked.

"Mebbe an hour," Orihime said, sounding a little better. "You're funny, lady."

"Why is that?" Erza asked.

"Nobody helps," Orihime said, "but you did it anyway."

"Of course I did." Erza said. "It's only right."

Orihime nodded quietly. "Well, um…"

"We'll wait for your brother." Erza said resolutely. "I'll keep an eye out for these bullies."

"Hey, Erza!" It was Ichigo, having found her as the kids streamed out. "We learned to paint a tiger today! It's really big, and it's got these black stripes! My teacher says it's so he can hide in the jungle, but how can he do that when he's orange?" He said cheerily.

"That's nice, Ichigo," Erza said distractedly. "Listen, we're going to wait here for a while, do you understand?"

"Why?" Ichigo said. "I wanna go home now! I'm hungry!"

"Orihime needs somebody to wait with her, so we'll wait." Erza said simply.

"Who cares about her?" Ichigo said dismissively. "I wanna tell you about the stuff we learned-"

"We wait." Erza said, in a tone that brooked no disagreement.

"But why?" Ichigo protested.

"Y-you don't have to…" Orihime said quietly.

"Yes, I do." Erza said firmly. "Ichigo, you can still tell me about your tigers, but we'll wait here. Is that clear?"

"You're no fun." Ichigo said sullenly.

"Well, sometimes I'm no fun. Not a word more out of you, or I'm not telling you a story tonight."

"No fair!" Ichigo grumbled.

"I meant it." Erza said. Pouting, Ichigo went over to a bench nearby, and sat down.

"Come on," Erza said to Orihime, "we'll all wait together. It's no trouble."

Orihime nodded. "O-okay…"

It took no more than five minutes before Ichigo had stopped pouting, and was busy telling them all about tigers.

The next few days, Erza couldn't help but think of that little girl. Her brother, once he showed up, hadn't seemed bad- a bit harrowed and rather young, leaving with Orihime without saying a word. No parents…

She was being a busybody. That much was clear to her, as she made her way to their apartment, having stalked after them in shinigami form a couple of days later. But for some reason, she needed to know- that the little girl, Orihime, was all right. That… well, she wasn't sure what she wanted to know. Something wasn't as it should be, and for some reason she cared enough that she wanted to know what it was.

After quickly calling on her gigai, which had followed at a distance, Erza got inside it and walked up to the building where Orihime and her brother had gone. It was a small apartment complex, looking a little shabby, shabby, but not quite run-down. After a quick bit of searching, she found the right door, and rang the bell. After a little while, the brother opened the door, looking tired. His eyes widened a little, seeing her there.

"Big brother?" Erza could hear Orihime from the inside, some noises indicating she was watching TV. "Who is that?"

"Nobody, Orihime," The brother said, raising his voice, "I'll take care of it. You stay where you are."

"O-kay!" Orihime chirped.

"What are you doing here?" He said bluntly. "I mean… I appreciate you helping Orihime out the other day, but…" He shook his head, and shrugged. "It's like I forgot my manners. I'm Inoue Sora."

He was average in height, looking like he wasn't quite out of his teens yet- too young, probably, to be caring for a child.

"It's fine." Erza said. "Did she tell you what happened before that?"

"No," Sora said, "but I think I can guess."

"She got bullied. And since you can guess, it's not the first time, is it?"

There was something weary in his eyes, as he closed the door behind him, stepping outside the apartment, standing face to face with Erza.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "She's so… she's such a wonderful, amazing sweet little kid. She's a little different, but she's… she's great." He took a deep breath. "But she has red hair, and that's enough. Fucking kids…"

"Have you not told the teachers?" Erza said strictly. "If you know what's going on-"

"They know." Sora said. "They turn a blind eye unless they are forced to look. Easier to act like there's no problem."

"That- that- that's outrageous!" Erza snarled. "How can you be okay with this?"

Sora shot her a dark look. "Do I look 'okay' with it?"

"You're the one who's supposed to protect her- how can you let this stand? I- somebody should do something, if you can't!" Erza protested angrily.

"You have no idea!" Sora snapped. "You have no idea what's actually going on, so don't act so high and mighty! I'm doing the best I can!"

"And if that's not enough?" Erza said coldly. She was probably not fair, but thinking about the little girl crying…

"Then you'll call social services, is that it?" Sora said. "I'm guessing you saw it already- I'm too young to be her legal guardian. But I'm all she's got."

"She said she had no parents." Erza said, not yet denying or confirming the implied threat of calling the authorities.

Sora took a deep breath, looking furious. "She don't." He said, his voice strained with anger, forcibly controlled. "Those two… if they can be called parents, then nothing's right with the world. And if you poke your nose in this, where you have no business, then it's all the worse for her!"

"Talk." Erza said. "You said 'those two'. She has parents after all?"

Sora spat at the ground. "Our father is a good for nothing drunk. A selfish piece of shit who never cared about nobody but himself. Our mother… she's a whore. An addict who does… whatever she can for her next fix. Me, I had to look after myself from when I was three years old. When I was little, I used to dream of going to school, getting out of that shit-hole and make a life for myself. Then Orihime came, and…"

There was something desperate in his voice, a deeply emphatic tone to what he said, and it was clear to Erza that he really loved his sister.

"She had nobody else to look after her, all right? Our mother never gave a shit about us, and our dad's a violent thug, so… when I was seventeen, I took her and ran. She was just two then. I quit school to get a job so I could support her. I'm just barely getting by, working in a warehouse. I'm lucky my boss even lets me go for an hour to go pick her up. I get up early in the morning, I work all day, I come home late… and she's the only thing that keeps me going. She gets bullied, and I can do jack about it. How do you think that makes me feel? And I can't go to the police, 'cause they'd find out. And if they find us… we go back to our worthless mom and dad." He said bitterly.

"That's the sick thing. Even working myself to death, even with her being bullied, it's better than the alternative. It's a rotten world. But if you want to make it worse, you can just go ahead!"

Erza looked at him, feeling a little shocked. This was not what she had expected. She was not exactly a human lie detector, but the anger and hurt in Sora's face, in his voice, were plain to see- if he were lying, then he was a good liar. She had judged him, not knowing what things really were…

She had never expected this.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, feeling her righteous anger crumbling like a house of cards. "I- I'm not going to call anybody. I just… wanted to know."

Sora said nothing, taking a few breaths, and nodded.

"…I meddle a lot." Erza confessed. "But seeing her be bullied like that, I couldn't…"

"You did right." Sora said. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking torn. "It's not right, and… it's not bad to care. You didn't know."

"I'll wait with her." Erza offered. "Every day. Until you show up."

"…you don't have to." Sora mumbled.

"Yes, I do." Erza said. "I know it's not my place, but… if I don't butt in, they might do it again. I know I can stop it. So I will."

"…all right then." He said, sighing. "Who are you again?"

"Erza Scarlet." Erza said. "I live with the parents of one of the kids at school. I teach kendo."

He nodded. "Okay then, I guess." He turned around, opened the door, and walked back inside.

"See ya," he said awkwardly. Erza made herself smile, and Sora closed the door behind him.

She did wait, every day. Every day, for four years, she waited, whether she was supposed to pick up Ichigo or not. Sometimes she wondered why- she couldn't save all the bullied children; she'd never have any time free and she'd still not be able to do enough.

The answer was always obvious. For as long as she was there, Orihime was safe. One child saved was one child saved. One person helped was always better than none.

A lot of things happened in that time. Isshin got his license as a doctor, and a loan to open up his own clinic- one that doubled as a new home for them all. Ichigo grew up to be a happy, energetic kid with a natural knack for karate. Yuzu turned out to be sweet and kind, while Karin was practical and down to earth. And Orihime, she turned out to be just as sweet as Sora had said- kind, compassionate, although sometimes seeming not all there. She had a different view on reality, Erza learned- and a downright bizarre perspective on cuisine. She knew no other children who would think to combine bananas, chocolate, and chili sauce.

She got to know her, these years, with the hour or so she had each day. Every minute was worth it. Ichigo grew up next to her, and with how many people he had supporting him, she always thought of how little Orihime had by comparison- and how she had the strength to smile and be happy nonetheless. She had heart, of a kind that would have been welcomed in Fairy Tail.

But good things do not last. Sometimes they last a good, long while. Sometimes they last much too short a time. Either way, time flies and the earth keeps on turning.

Orihime had turned eleven when it happened. Erza had been walking her home, along with one of the few friends she had- Arisawa Tatsuki, a good kid as far as she could tell- listening to Orihime talk. She had had a fight with her brother; nothing too big. Children fight, and somebody with the kind of strain Sora had to endure was bound to be a bit on edge. They would make up, Erza was sure.

Except they never would. That day, Erza left Orihime, letting her walk the last few blocks home- she had Tatsuki with her, and it was good for a child to learn to do things on their own. Quite peacefully, she walked home, thinking all was well with the world.

Things continued to be well, until suddenly they got a patient to the clinic. Erza thought nothing of it at first, only noticing when she went down to get a snack. But after an hour or so, she saw the troubled look on Masaki's face, and asked. Somebody had died in the clinic. Erza asked the name, never knowing, never expecting it. With a sad look on her face, Masaki had explained- it was Inoue Sora.

Erza felt that sinking feeling, one she had almost forgotten. It had been no monster, no murderer- just a careless driver. Human bodies could be so frail, and Sora was no exception. His ribcage had been smashed, his lungs punctured, and he had drowned in his own blood, just an hour ago.

Not even thinking, Erza ran. She had had no particular bond with Sora- he was a good man, but they had never become friends. But Orihime… poor, sweet Orihime, what would she do? Erza ran, ran, and didn't stop until she reached Orihime's apartment.

Tatsuki was already there. Orihime, of course, was inconsolable, a crying, shaking mess. There were barely any words between the three of them, just Erza holding Orihime close, along with Tatsuki. At the time, she had no idea how long she stayed. It turned out to be the entire night, and a good portion of the morning. School and work were out of the question for the time- Erza simply stayed, only stopping to make a call to work.

She later learned that Orihime had seen the accident, seen her brother lying dying on the street, his blood littering the asphalt… and Erza knew, she knew exactly how Orihime felt right now. She knew how much you needed people to lean on, how weak you truly were on your own. So stayed she did, doing whatever she could to help. Her exact memory of it got lost in a haze of tears, of raw, infectious pain. But eventually, reality caught up, and two days later she had to leave, if only to get a change of clothes and a shower. Masaki didn't question it when she showed up at their front door, looking exhausted. She simply let her in, offering a caring hug.

A shower and a change of clothes later, Erza was cooped up at the couch in the Kurosaki house, sipping from a mug of hot tea. Ichigo had tried to approach her, but Masaki had warded him away- and Erza didn't mind. She was not in a state to do much. Orihime's tragedy had become hers, if only by proxy, and it weighed on her. Finally, after an hour or so, Masaki sat down by her, and gave her a look of sorts, a quietly prodding look. It told her that if she needed to talk, she was right there, and if not, she was still right there.

Eventually, Erza opened her mouth.

"This world…" She mumbled. "Why do people have to just die like this?"

It was a stupid question, obvious in answer, completely rhetorical, but she could think of nothing else to say.

"It's life." Masaki said, her voice quiet. "I'm sorry, Erza."

"I need to get back to her," Erza said decisively. "She has nobody else, she needs me-"

"Erza, no," Masaki said, her tone managing to be firm, despite how quiet it still was. "You look terrible. You need to sleep. You're close with her, but you need to think of yourself. You are no help to anybody when you fall over from exhaustion."

"I'm fine," Erza protested, but it was a lie- she was exhausted, emotionally if not physically.

"You're not." Masaki said. "Orihime has Tatsuki. You need to rest, and-"

"What will she do now?" Erza said, looking Masaki in the eye. "She has nobody left. Her- her parents, they're not fit, and when the authorities come checking they'll send her back-"

She choked up, unable to finish the sentence.

Masaki gently rubbed Erza's back.

"I know you're close, but that's not your responsibility. You're not her mother."

"She needs somebody." Erza said plainly. "I- I put myself into her life like this. I can't do nothing."

"You're not a saviour, Erza," Masaki said, shaking her head. "Some things are out of your control. I know you're very strong, and very loyal, but this isn't the kind of problem you can solve with a sword. Be there for her, all right, but don't let this swallow you up."

"I'm not her mother, you're right." Erza said, nodding.

"Right, so-"

"But I could be the next best thing." Erza said resolutely, putting her tea cup down on the couch table. She felt the sadness slowly washing away, replaced by the calm, steely resolve she always felt in the face of adversity. There was a solution. Of course there was. It wasobvious.

"What?" Masaki said, blinking.

"I'll take care of her." Erza said. "Somebody has to, and I'm not letting her go back to those good-for-nothings."

"It's not your responsibility, I told you-" Masaki protested, but Erza cut her off.

"I am making it my responsibility." She said firmly.

"Erza… taking care of a child isn't easy." Masaki said, sounding half in disbelief. "Your entire life revolves around them when you do. It has to. Can you really do that? Can you make her lunch every day, pick her up from school, listen to everything she has to say, tell her off when she crosses a line, support her when she needs you… Erza, I'm not saying you can't, but… it's a massive thing to do. It's not something you can do on a whim. It's not like adopting a dog or a cat."

"They let complete idiots parent just because they forgot to use protection." Erza said bluntly. "If people like that can call themselves mom and dad, then I can."

"Children deserve better than complete idiots." Masaki said sharply.

"I know." Erza said. "I know it's big. But I've done big things before. Big things that you'd think were impossible before. Things that took focus, willpower and strength. Things that looked impossible at first glance, but turned out to just be really difficult if you looked close. I died once for a thing like that, and I didn't think twice about it because if I try to do something for the right reasons, I don't let anything hold me back." She looked Masaki in the eye, and let a small, sad smile cross her face. "I can do it, because I have to do it. Because nobody else will."

"You're insane." Masaki said, sounding slightly exasperated. "When she comes to you crying about her first crush, will you know how to help her?"

"I'll ask you for advice." Erza shot back.

"You can make her lunch every day?"

"If I can't, there's always convenience stores."

"And when she gets out of line?" Masaki said skeptically.

"I never tolerate that kind of nonsense." Erza said. "You've seen me with Ichigo. Have you ever been afraid to let me look after him? Or Yuzu, or Karin? Haven't I cared for them time and time again?"

"It's… different." Masaki said, sighing. "Being a full time parent is a lot to handle, Erza, especially when you're on your own. Besides, how do you know you'll even be allowed to adopt her?"

"I know a guy," Erza said, shrugging. "He likes being owed."

"Good lord, you wouldn't…" Masaki grumbled. "But have you thought about asking Orihime if she even wants to?"

For the first time, Masaki's objections gave Erza pause. That… was a factor, yes.

"I'll ask. In a very nice and gentle way. I'll be convincing." Erza said, not sounding too convincing herself.

"Where will you live?" Masaki asked. "I mean, I suppose we could make room… oh, I'll have to talk to Isshin about that…" She sighed again. "You are crazy, Erza Scarlet. You know that?"

"It's one of my best qualities." Erza said confidently. "How will I make a difference if I can't believe the impossible?"

"That… makes no sense." Masaki said, giving a chuckle. "Well, I don't think anybody here can try to stop you. But… Erza, be careful. A little girl is going to be depending on you. You cannot let her down."

"I won't." Erza said confidently.

Urahara certainly did like being owed favours. She didn't know how she did it, but he found a way- adoption papers, officially made, facilitating Erza's guardianship over Orihime; all that was left to ask. Even his smug grin, as he implied she would be in his debt for many, many years, didn't anger her. She had bigger things to care about. Much, much bigger things.

All in all, nearly a month had passed. There had been a funeral, Spartan in nature with few participants. Erza had attended, as had Tatsuki, and a few of Sora's friends from work- it had been a sad affair all around, as funerals tended to be. Orihime, understandably, had not gone back to school yet, staying inside that dank apartment, sad and broken. Erza had visited her daily, spending most of her time there when she was not at work, even neglecting her training. Today was the time, Erza thought as she walked in, papers in hand.

Orihime was cooped up in a corner, watching reruns of some drama show on TV. Wordlessly, Erza sat herself down beside her on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. They sat quietly for a while, Erza barely following the plot of the show. She suspected Orihime didn't either. After a while, Erza realized she would have to be the one to speak up, or they would be stuck here all night.

"So…" Erza said, not sure how to begin. Orihime did not respond.

"So… will you go back to school soon?" She said.

"Mhmm." Orihime said, keeping her eyes focused on the television.

"You have to keep moving." Erza said. "Not that you should ever forget him, but… life goes on…"

This was awkward. Very, very awkward. It had been easy enough to decide to do this, but strangely, this part was more difficult than she had thought.

"You keep moving, because um…" Erza sighed. There was no nice and smooth way of saying this.

"Orihime, sooner or later, people will come asking. They'll want to know who is going to look after you now."

"I can look after myself." Orihime said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I am sure you can," Erza said, trying, struggling to lay this out, "but they won't see it that way. They will want to place you in foster care, or find your p-"

"I don't have any!" Orihime said sharply. "They're not real, big brother said so, they're not-"

"I believe you!" Erza said quickly. "But.. they won't."

"They- they- who is they, anyway?" Orihime said, sounding upset.

"The government, I suppose," Erza said, gently putting an arm around Orihime. "I… your brother was a good man. He worked hard, and he took care of you, and nobody can replace him. But he's… not here anymore. I wouldn't ask this if that wasn't so, but… somebody needs to look after you. I think it should be me."

"What?" Orihime said.

"I'm not your big brother," Erza said, "and I'm not going to try to be. But… trust me, you need somebody."

"I can do it fine on my own," Orihime mumbled defiantly, but she sounded weary more than anything else.

"I'll let you." Erza said. "I'm not your mother. But… I want to take care of you."

Orihime stayed silent for a while. "…would we be living with doctor Kurosaki?" She finally mumbled.

"Maybe at first." Erza said. "I'll get us our own place eventually. I'm making enough money now."

"…maybe." Orihime said, her voice little more than a whisper. "I just…"

"It hurts." Erza said bluntly. "A lot. I know, trust me, I know how much it hurts. But the world keeps moving, and we need to move with it or we're left behind."

"…you know?" Orihime said. "Who did you lose?"

"More than I want to say," Erza mumbled, remembering all of their names, their faces flashing through her memory, "maybe one day I'll tell you all about it. It's going to hurt, a lot, and for some people that never stops. But it gets easier."

"I don't believe you," Orihime murmured.

"I didn't believe it either." Erza said. "But it gets better. And like I said… you have to keep moving.

They sat silent for a while. Then, finally, Orihime said, her voice barely audible,

"…okay."

Inwardly, Erza breathed a sigh of relief. It was the first step to an enormous undertaking, something new entirely, a challenge unlike any she had ever faced. She would do it. Failure was not an option.

And here we go. A HUGE change has unfolded. Erza scarlet is now the legal guardian of Orihime Inoue.

Now, why did I do this? 3 reasons. For one, ive always been fond of Orihime as a character. Many people started to dislike her during the arrancar arc, but for me, ive never really had an issue with the character. However, I DO admit that she really hasn't had as much time to shine as a character as she should.

Thats one reason why this was done. Orihime wont just be a medic, I have plans to turn her into a competent fighter. Not an overpowered one mind you. She isnt reaching captain level anytime soon...if ever. (probably not gonna happen) However, I can promise you more will be done with her.

It also gives us the interesting scenario of Erza trying to be a parent...admit it, you want to know how she would do as one. Will she do a good job? I leave that up to you to guess.

Finally, this means that Orihime will be spending more time with Ichigo. I know that may not seem all that important right now...but it is. For atleast two reasons. If you can guess why, Ill personally congratulate you in the next chapter...assuming I remember too.

I planned this out to happen for over a year. This isnt just something I just decided to do now. Ive got a whole outline for this story, that goes from here, to soul society, all the way to the 1000 year blood war arc.

Anyways, I hope you all really, truly enjoyed this chapter. Please, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think.