Chapter 24: Knights Of Justice

Ohhhhh Boy, i have waited a LONG time for us to get to this part of the story! Why? Oh, im not telling ya! You'll see what I mean soon enough. Im posting this chapter earlier because I REALLY want to know what you guys have to say about this chapter. Im cant wait to read the reviews for this one.

Well, enough stalling, lets do this!

Thank you once again Greatkingrat88

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

As they sped through town, Erza's mind raced. She was hardly the most stoic of people; like most from Fairy Tail she was passionate, if not wearing emotion at the sleeve then at least keeping it close. But a long life in service to the Gotei had allowed her to keep a level head in dangerous situations, far more so than somebody like Masaki would be able to. Poor Masaki- Erza felt the same outrage as she did, the same fear, anger and determination to find the children, but she was all too aware that a mother's instinct was that much stronger. Ichigo, Yuzu and Karin were her children; they had grown in her womb, been nursed and nurtured by Masaki from their youngest age, and now they were taken, for purposes unknown. She held up fairly well, circumstances considered, although Erza suspected that just like she herself did, she was trying very hard not to think about what could be happening to the kids at this time.

In mere minutes- which felt like years- they reached Urahara's shop, racing double time. Erza had not expected Masaki to be able to keep up with her speed, but she was, driven by either skill or sheer willpower. Urahara, no doubt having sensed their fast approaching presence, was just making his way out the door when the two of them landed. Masaki stopped to pant for a second, while Erza marched up to the shopkeeper, having the look of a woman ready to do bloody murder if she was provoked. Walking up to Urahara, she towered over him, her fists balled.

"Ah, miss Erza-" He said, his jolly tone sounding somewhat forced, but Erza cut him off.

"Shut up." She said firmly, her tone allowing for no disagreement. "We need something from you. No jokes, no stalling, no playing coy, no nothing. We need your help, and you'll give it to us. We'll get you anything you want later, anything at all, but right now we need you to help."

"Now, there's no need-" Urahara began, his tone still too jaunty for Erza's liking. She grabbed him by the rim of his shirt, and pulled him in close, and said, her voice ice cold,

"They took her kids. They're gone. Been gone for at least two hours. We think it was the quincies. Help, or I'll rip your throat out."

"…let go of me, and I'll see what I can do," Urahara said, his voice low and calm, quite unlike his normal, jolly demeanor. Slowly, Erza let go of him, and he turned around, taking his hat off and gesturing for them to follow him inside.

"We'll get you anything- anything at all," Masaki said, sounding a bit strained still.

"This way," Urahara simply said, leading them inside, behind the shop front and into one back room, filled with files and paper stacks, messy but not dusty.

"Let's see here…" He mumbled, rifling through the stacks. "No- no, not here… not here either…"

"Can you hurry up?" Erza said irritably. His compliance had stopped her from getting angry- well, angrier than she was- but she was still not in a good mood, and it felt plain wrong to be standing still at a time like this.

"Erza Scarlet," Urahara said gravely, shooting her a look as he continued digging through his files, "I am doing the best I can. I'm not going to push my luck- I can tell you mean business, and I've no interest in getting in your way. In here," he said, putting his eyes back at the papers, "I keep little bits and pieces of information. Data that's not important enough to store up here," –he gestured at his head- "but still potentially useful. Like, say, my map of regular quincy hideouts which they use when they're out hunting."

"How much will it cost us?" Erza said. "I know you're a businessman-"

"I'm a businessman, not an extortionist," he said dismissively. "I'm not going to charge you on this one. Call it an act of good will, if you like."

Erza just blinked, staring at him. Did he really mean it?

"Thank you," Masaki mumbled weakly, looking pale.

"Don't thank me until it's actually been useful," Urahara murmured. "Where is the damn thing- I could have sworn I put it around here somewhere… ah, there!" He dug out a plain, brown file, knocking over a stack of papers as he pulled it free, and quickly rifled through it. "Yes, yes, yes… here!" He exclaimed, handing the file to Erza. "This is all I have, at the moment, which could be useful to you. An account of the hiding places favoured by the quincies from last year."

Erza looked through it quickly. "That's one, two, three… seven places to cover?" Erza mumbled.

"We'll just go, then, quickly!" Masaki insisted. "Thank you- thanks a million, but we- we gotta run!"

"Sounds like you could use somebody fast."

The voice came from the door opening, and Erza would have recognized it anywhere. Yoruichi, her brown-skinned sparring partner, fully clothed for once.

"You're volunteering?" Erza said, not waiting for her to reply- together with Masaki, she began marching out of the shop. Yoruichi kept up, gracefully half-walking, half-leaping alongside them.

"Call it good will, I guess. It's a popular term today, it seems."

"Very well," Erza said, nodding. "Your skills could come in handy."

"You know her from before?" Masaki said anxiously.

"Sort of. Not exactly." Erza said. "She'll be useful, though."

"Then she comes with us," Masaki said, nodding. Together, the three of them sped off, after having had a quick look at the hiding places on the list.

Urahara watched them go. It was unlike Yoruichi to get involved- but it was a good thing. Smiling to himself, he put his hat back on. The quincies were in over their heads, red-headed doom coming their way, and it was a shame; they usually made for such good customers. Oh well, he thought, such was life…

Karakura town was not an especially large part of Tokyo itself, but all things were relative, and after an hour of searching, 'not especially large' felt like a chasm, like a dark forest the size of Canada, enormously and impossibly large even with a few set locations to visit. Reality, of course, was that stress and fear was taking its toll, but being so caught up in said stress and fear, Erza and Masaki were not particularly inclined to take an objective view. It was good fortune, then, that Yoruichi had accompanied them, leading them expertly from one location to the next. So far, they had visited an empty warehouse, the unused cellar of a middle school, the roof of a tall office building, and nothing had yet turned up. Yoruichi kept running ahead to each one, so as not to alert the quincies of their presence, if they were there. But so far, the three places they had searched had yielded nothing. There were traces of Quincy reiatsu around the place, certainly- Urahara's intel had not been false, at least. Even so, every second spent chasing these leads felt like a second wasted. Masaki's mouth was a thin line, her fists balled, and Erza could tell she was just barely holding herself together. She herself was faring somewhat better, but not by much.

They would find the hiding place, search it quickly, and dash off to the next, working as effectively as they could- she only hoped it would be enough.

They hit the fourth place at last, another basement hidden well under an apartment complex. It was well maintained; no dust collected on its floors and shelves, with small traces of reiatsu left. Even so, inside this dank, gloomy place, barely lit by sunlight coming from ground-level windows, there was nothing to be found. Quickly, not a word shared, they did as they had before- thoroughly rushing through the place, checking for anywhere somebody might have hid, or any clue that could lead them to the right place, sensing carefully for the right kind of reiatsu. Some five minutes later, they had turned the place upside down, turning the already run-down cellar into a bigger mess.

"Nothing here." Erza said through her teeth. "Should we move on?"

"Damn it," Masaki hissed, "damn it, damn it, damn it!" Her fists were balled hard, hard enough that her nails were digging through the skin of her palms. "Yoruichi, nothing?"

"No," Yoruichi said, shaking her head. "I'll check the other room. It'll take just a minute, then we'll move on."

"Do it quick, then!" Masaki snapped.

"Keep calm." Erza said, keeping her voice level. "You can't lose focus now-"

"It's not your kids on the line, Erza!" Masaki snapped. "What the hell are you risking? And why the hell are we just trusting… trusting her to guide us?"

Erza took a deep breath. Her first instinct was to come back with some sharp retort, about how she cared too, and how dare she question that- but Masaki was afraid, probably more afraid than she had ever been, and you were never yourself in situations like those. She had to keep calm, no matter what.

"We have no choice." She said slowly, getting each word out one syllable after another. "We stick to the plan. We will find them and theywill be all right, but until then-"

"I just… I can't- I can't-" Masaki began, and Erza saw it, she was on the verge of breaking down-

"Shut up, the both of you!" Yoruichi hissed.

"Listen, you-" Erza began, feeling indignant.

"No, shut up," Yoruichi said, her voice low, her head nodding toward the windows, toward the outside. Understanding, Erza nodded.

"What is it?" Masaki said, on the verge of tears. Did you-"

"Quiet." Erza said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Yoruichi nodded at them, and slowly and cautiously slipped out the door. Letting her senses reach out, Erza felt it now- a reiatsu source, not active but noticeable, with the unmistakable signature of a Quincy. For a few moments, she and Masaki waited, with baited breath, and Erza could feel her heart beating, every pulse as loud as a church bell. Then, she sensed Yoruichi moving, and seconds later…

Well, her reiatsu sensing didn't extend that far; it had never been her strong suit- but it didn't matter, because less than a minute later Yoruichi walked in, carrying a young man with black hair over her shoulders. Unceremoniously, she dumped him on the floor.

"I know him," Masaki mumbled, nervously licking her lips, "he's one of the lesser quincies. A servant of the pure-blooded."

"Would he know where they would be?" Erza asked.

"I… think so." Masaki said.

"Then we ask," Yoruichi said. "How loyal are they, exactly?"

"…very," Masaki said. "They're conditioned to be. From birth."

"Hey, you, wake up," Erza said, deciding to wait no longer. She walked over to the young man, and shook him roughly. "I said, wake up!"

Before long, the young Quincy woke up, slowly coming to, awakening to see the terrifying visage of a very, very determined Erza Scarlet. He jerked, trying to crawl away, but Erza had a firm hold on his collar.

"Where are they?!" Masaki burst out. "Tell me where they are, you little bastard!"

"O-oh," The Quincy said. "Oh…" He said, as he began to realize where exactly he was. "Traitor… and shinigami filth…" He said the words, trying to fit in vitriol and hate, but managed to sound nervous more than anything else.

"Let me explain to you where exactly you are," Yoruichi said, kneeling by his side. "There are two very angry, very powerful women here, who really, really need some information. You can do the smart thing, and give it up, or we can-"

Still quivering with fear, the quincy spat at her, missing but making himself quite clear.

"…or it can be difficult." Yoruichi said, sighing.

"Listen, you little brat," Erza snarled, raising a fist, "you'll talk or you'll-"

"Erza, wait," Yoruichi said, holding back Erza's hand.

"What?" Erza growled.

"Come on," Yoruichi said, taking a few steps back. "You too, Masaki." Tentatively, Masaki obeyed, and Erza got on her feet, standing with Yoruichi, turned away from the Quincy.

"Well?" Erza said. She was in a bad mood before; right now it was all she could do not to lunge at the Quincy and beat him senseless. But losing her cool was probably the worst she could do, she knew that much.

"What are you planning to do?" Yoruichi said flatly.

"Beat him until he talks." Erza said bluntly.

"We should." Masaki said coldly, only her erratic breaths betraying the desperation underneath. "We should- we have to find out, no matter what."

"You don't have the stomach, or the knowledge." Yoruichi said. "You best stay out of it."

"Stay out of it? It's my children- I'll do anything!" Masaki snarled.

"Have you ever tortured anybody?" Yoruichi said. "It's messy. Difficult to get right. If you, Erza," she said, looking Erza in the eye, "if you try beating him, he'll probably just end up unconscious- or dead. You don't know how to pull your punches."

"I could try," Erza said determinedly.

Yoruichi sighed. "Listen. He's young. Afraid. He doesn't want to be here. I could make him talk- I know how. But I want you outside."

"But…" Erza interjected, "I mean… torture him?"

"Just a second ago you were ready to beat him until you got what you wanted." Yoruichi said. "I just know how to do it more efficiently."

"Do it." Masaki hissed through her teeth. "Do whatever it takes. I don't care. Just… find out where they are."

"Masaki…" Erza said. The anger was washing off her a little, and she remembered where she really stood- inflicting pain on people, defenseless people, that wasn't a good thing, but…

"It's the kids, Erza!" Masaki said, a fierce desperation in her voice, "the kids! It's Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu! Don't you get it?"

"Step outside," Yoruichi said, with some resignation. "It shouldn't take too long, even without tools."

Erza shook her head, but slowly took the first step toward the door. Masaki eagerly grabbed her by the arm, and together they walked out, standing themselves just outside the building.

"Now," she could hear Yoruichi say as they walked out, "let's start asking some questions…"

It took a few minutes before the first scream came. Erza steeled herself, balling her first and forced herself to remain still. Then came, a second, and a third. Minutes passed; the noises from inside the cellar came and went, and Erza forced herself to think of Ichigo, of Yuzu, of Karin- and what the unthinkable would feel like. What it would be like if the same thing happened again, like it had happened in the past.

And somehow, that was enough. She wasn't sure quite when, but sometime later Yoruichi came out, with a bit of blood on her hands.

"Follow me," she said simply. Again, they sped away.

Yoruichi led them to a ground level apartment, a few miles away. They stopped a few hundred yards away, suppressing their reiatsu as best they could. From the roof they stood on, the place looked suspiciously deserted. Karakura was not the most densely populated part of Tokyo, but it was still a city. Yet, nobody seemed to be within view of the place.

"What are we waiting for?" Masaki said, producing a quincy cross from somewhere- who knew where she had kept it, but it seemed she hadn't let go of her heritage entirely. "Let's go get them- I can feel them inside, right there-" She took a step forward, but Erza put a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy now," she said. "We can't barge in there without the first clue. We need to take them by surprise, or they might end up… going for the children."

Erza, too, could feel the beat of their reiatsu in there, faintly. They were certainly alive, although she couldn't tell much more.

"She's right," Yoruichi said. "I'll sneak in for a closer look. Do not move until I get back. Is that clear?"

A tormented look passed Masaki's face, but finally she nodded. "Hurry," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Keep calm," Erza said, huddling down on one knee on the rooftop. "I know how it feels, trust me, I do- but when it matters, you have to be patient."

Masaki said nothing in reply, and Erza couldn't blame her. The children were there, within their grasp, and she too wanted nothing more than to just run in, smite the evildoers and save them, consequences be damned. There was a time when she might have. But times had changed her, and she knew the risks that came with recklessness.

Quietly, Yoruichi slipped away, moving silently. She didn't even slip into a shunpo, instead moving normally, her reiatsu completely suppressed, keeping away from vision. She was remarkably quick even so, and it was obvious that her training was still there, exile or no. She was gone perhaps ten minutes, no more, although each minute felt like an eternity. At last, though, she heaved herself back up on the rooftop, smoothly and quietly.

"Fifteen signatures," Yoruichi said, her voice calm, smooth, matter-of-factly, "five with significant power, an additional ten with lesser power."

"That would be the servants," Masaki said, nodding eagerly.

"Three rooms, not counting the kitchen and bathroom," Yoruichi continued. "The children are being kept in the room furthest back, under the guard of two servants. The others are spread out, seeming at ease. It could be a trap, but I doubt it."

"Let's go, then," Erza said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"Not until we have a plan," Yoruichi said, shaking her head. "What if their response to a frontal attack is to kill the hostages? We need strategy."

"What do you suggest, then?" Masaki said. Her face was pale white, and she was licking her lips nervously.

"I'll sneak around the back. There's a window, not too hard to break," Yoruichi explained. "I want you to wait five minutes, then charge in. Full power- make yourselves as noticeable as possible. Break in the door, engage at will. Erza, you'll lead. Masaki- I don't know how strong you are, so stay close to her and back her up. Fight them, and be ready to kill. While you do that, I'll get inside, and rush to secure the children. Clear?"

"But-" Masaki said. It was obvious she wanted to find them first, rather than play bait, but Yoruichi was having none of it.

"Listen, I have experience doing this sort of thing," she said firmly. "A lot of it, actually, and I was pretty good at it. You don't. I can get to them in less than five seconds once you have their attention, and that includes taking out the two guarding them. Leave it to me, and you'll have them back safe and sound."

"I know it's hard," Erza said, "but… she's probably right."

"You'll vouch for her?" Masaki said. "You can swear she's telling the truth?"

"She was the head of the onmitsukidou," Erza said, hastily adding, "the bureau of spies and assassins. Intelligence network. She's telling the truth, Masaki."

"…fine." Masaki muttered tensely. "Do it. I'll… trust you."

"Good," Yoruichi said, nodding and began climbing down again. "Remember, five minutes!"

Erza steeled herself, putting a hand on Tetsu no Tama. This was the moment of truth, and it had better work…

Suin Shizuo was standing leaned against a kitchen cabinet. He had an urge to pace back and forth; this whole operation had made his mind race. But he was a leader, the patriarch of the last Japanese Quincy clan, and he had to stay composed at all times. This operation was the first serious undertaking since his ascension, his chance to prove he was strong, decisive, unafraid. There were precious few purebloods left- his traitor cousin Ryuken aside, only he and four more were pure, and would have to breed with the best among their servants to keep the clan strong. Ten servants had come with them, meaning almost the entire clan was here.

"My lord," one of the servants said, walking in and interrupting his musings, "the children are… restless. Kago and Suki would like instructions on what to do."

"Do I need to tell them how to wipe their behinds as well?" Shizuo snapped. "They are hostages- put them in their place."

"Yes, my lord," the servant said, bowing respectfully.

"Cousin, no need to be so harsh," said Shina, the only female pureblood left. "They fear disappointing you. In time they will learn your way of leading- but until then, clear instruction should serve you well."

"I don't need your advice," Shizuo murmured. He had an urge to tell her to know her place, but she was pure like himself, and that demanded respect.

"A wise leader considers the knowledge of his subjects, is that not so?" The one to speak up was his brother, Reimaru. "So venerable Soken always said."

"Soken, may the ancestors rest his soul, was a soft-hearted and-" Shizuo almost said 'weak', but stopped himself in time; it would not do to disrespect the dead so, much less a patriarch- "…cautious leader. Too cautious. Do not expect me to take his counsel, Reimaru."

"Sure, sure, brother," Reimaru said. "I still don't see the point of taking these kids, though. Not that I question your judgment, patriarch," he added hastily.

"It will be an appropriate sacrifice." Shizuo said shortly. "A tribute to the Holy One, to show to our continental brothers our dedication to Quincy ideals. Filthy half-bloods…"

"I'd have expected you to kill them outright," Shina said.

"Believe me, I want to," Shizuo said, "but-"

Then he felt it. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the bright and blazing force of a shinigami, bursting toward them- how had they been found? This was no ordinary one either. His fellow quincies felt it too, he could see, but he still cried out,

"TO ARMS! WE'VE BEEN FOUND!" Immediately he ran out of the kitchen, into the living room. "Taji, Suzuma, get the children-"

And that was when Suin Shizuo was interrupted, as the front door was turned to splinters as Erza Scarlet burst through it. Her eyes had all the seeming of a demon, a fury risen from hell to consume them, and Shizuo almost felt afraid. However, he had long since mastered his fear, and was among the first to raise his bow toward the door. Less than half a second after the door had burst, dozens of arrows sprayed toward it, a hail of blue bolts peppering against their attacker. It was for naught, though- the shinigami had a shield and spear, and before another second had passed she had closed the distance, impaling the closest Quincy servant. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes, and the spear and shield dissolved, transforming into two blades. To make matters worse, a hail of arrows flew in from behind her, shooting down two more servants distracted by the shinigami's presence.

Shizuo swore to himself. Masaki! Masaki, and that wretched pet shinigami of hers, somehow having found their way here. Quickly, he sensed for the servants standing guard over the hostages- but they were down and out, their reiatsu fading.

To the credit of his servants, they met their end fighting, each one stringing arrow after arrow, letting it fly. A good few hit, but it didn't even slow the red-haired, demonic berserker down, as she worked her twin blades with horrifying speed and efficiency. This was a good hiding place, but a terrible battle ground- a Quincy needed space to move, to make advantage of his speed and his bow, and this fairly small apartment was anything but. Within a matter of seconds, the servants lay dead or dying on the ground.

Erza breathed heavily. She had forced herself not to get too angry, not to lose her mind to the urge to squash these Quincies like bugs under her sandal. So far it had been a quick, messy and brutal affair. It had taken her less than half a minute to do this with Masaki. She felt the fading reiatsu of the lesser Quincies, and knew some of them were already dead. She had been hit, several times, but not in any significant way- they didn't have the power. A tall, muscular man aimed his bow at her, and judging by his reiatsu he was one of the stronger ones. Immediately charging in, Erza body-slammed him, knocking him off his feet before running both her blades into his chest. A sharp pain burst out in her arm, and she saw another strong quincy readying another shot, one arrow having already gone through her arm. He didn't get to fire another shot, though, as one of Masaki's arrows speared his neck, followed by another, and another, and finally a fourth arrow hitting right into his head. The apartment was a scene of massacre, blood spilled everywhere, and only three quincies remained. Erza kept her guard up, but didn't advance further- there was bloodshed, and then there was needless bloodshed, and you had to at least try and stop. The three remaining quincies had their bows strung, but didn't fire. The one in front, a young man with short, black hair and a facial expression somewhere in between terrified and furious, looked right at her.

"It's over." Erza said. She sensed for Yoruichi, for the kids- indeed, she had made good on her promise; there were no quincies active in that room, and she herself seemed well, as did the children. "Give up."

"I'll never trust a word you have to say, shinigami," the leader spat at her.

"Erza, let me tell you this," Masaki said, walking into the apartment, bow strung. She looked so odd, in her normal clothes, but with such a fierce, angry expression and a Quincy bow strung quite readily. "If you don't kill them, I will. They are not walking out of this alive."

"Masaki…" Erza said. This was one of those times, one of those times when she didn't quite know what the right way was, and it bothered her. The mage from Fairy Tail cried to her that murder was wrong, always wrong. The mother in her, the Erza that had helped raise Ichigo, Yuzu and Karin, who cared for Orihime like her own, understood Masaki perfectly.

"If we let them go, there could be a next time. It's like you said- we can't protect them all the time," Masaki said coldly. "And next time they might do better. Next time we might not be lucky. They only have to be lucky one time. I'm not going to let that happen."

"Masaki, you filthy race traitor," Shizuo spat, "you are the very worst kind of scum- you deserve to see your children die, one by one, slowly and horribly. These filthy abominations, these little monsters…"

"Not helping!" Erza snapped. "You're really, really not helping!"

Quite casually, Yoruichi walked out of a room nearby, the one where they had sensed the children, looking almost offensively at ease.

"The children are safe," she said, and Erza felt relief wash over her- and even moreso she could see it wash over Masaki, who almost lowered her bow.

"I used a simple kido, put them to sleep," Yoruichi said. "I figured you wouldn't want them to see… this." She said, making a general gesture toward the room itself.

"Yes, yes- that's good," Masaki said, her voice strained. "But that leaves these three…"

"We can't just…" Erza began, but Yoruichi cut her off.

"What is your plan, then?" She said softly. "I'm not really one for casual murder, but this is anything but. If you don't want them dead, then do you have a better solution?"

"Or maybe we'll kill you!" Shizuo snarled, sounding almost confused, clearly not used to being talked over like this.

"Oh, please," Yoruichi said, rolling her eyes. "You're not bad, kid, but you're not going to achieve anything here."

"…damn it!" Shizuo snarled. "Retreat!" Digging something out of his pocket, he threw it at them. There was a small explosion, and Erza's vision went white for a few seconds. She blinked, as her sight began to return to normal. Masaki was blinking the same as her, and more importantly- the three remaining Quincies were gone, having jumped out a window.

"Well, I'll be damned," Yoruichi said, having closed her eyes in time. "A flash grenade. They had more foresight than I expected."

"We need to get them!" Masaki said.

"No," Erza said. "You… get the kids out of here. I'll go deal with them."

"…thank you, Erza," Masaki managed, and didn't waste a second running into the room where her children were kept. Erza took a deep breath, and jumped out the window, hot on the trail of the three Quincies. They had less than a minute's head start, but a minute was a lot when you moved faster than the eye could follow.

Shizuo fought well and hard to keep himself from swearing loudly, to cry his rage to the heavens. Just a day more, and they would have met with the Holy One, and shown their dedication! Yet here he was, having run nearly seven miles, hid on the rooftop of a skyscraper further into Tokyo city. That… damnable, damnable bitch. Carnage- his clan, his loyal quincies, cut down like wheat before a reaper's scythe. She had been monstrous, so overwhelmingly strong… Shizuo had always prided himself on his skill, his strength, and he was only second to Ryuken in his generation, but this shinigami had been… something else. Though he was furious still, he felt dread when he recalled her energy, overpowering theirs…

"Well, that didn't work out," Shina huffed, sitting herself down, her back leaned against the railing of the roof. "You think she'll come after us?"

"Oh, please," Reimaru said, also short of breath, "a shinigami? I felt her reiatsu- she was a fighter and not a tracker, no doubt about it. Besides, with us suppressing our auras, nobody should be able to find us."

"So you say," a voice came from across the roof, clear enough to stand out over the wind. The three of them jerked, turning to look at the newcomer. He was tall, had the look of a foreigner, a westerner, with his blond hair and strange clothes. He wore a white cape, and what looked like a tabard underneath it, covering a light plate armour. There were not much of any colours on him, but for a single black iron cross on his chest, and a sword hanging in its sheath by his side.

"Who-" Shizuo began, then his eyes widened. Quincy. Energy as pure as could be. Strong, powerful and radiant. "Holy One!" He burst out, his heart soaring. Taking care to act respectfully, he walked forward to face him, and bowed, nearly tripping over his own feet. "We are overjoyed to make your acquaintance, sir…"

"I am Haschwalth," The man said simply, his tone neutral.

"Hashwalth! The sternritter's leader?" Shina exclaimed, and Reimaru let out a low whistle.

"M-my lord grand master!" Shizuo exclaimed, bowing again. "We did not expect such a prestigious figure to honour our request…"

"One has to busy oneself somehow," The sternritter said calmly. "We received your message- the remaining Japanese Quincy, at last willing to co-operate with your Eurasian cousins. I personally came here to evaluate your request."

"Of-of course," Shizuo said, nodding, feeling a little overwhelmed. "I am truly sorry, but we are unable to give you the greeting an esteemed guest like yourself deserves- we ran afoul of a powerful shinigami, who butchered most of my kin. We only barely escaped just now."

"So I sensed," Haschwald said, nodding.

"As we should expect of a grand master, your senses are keen as a razor," Shizuo said. "If- if it is not too grand a request, could we count on your aid in defense of the lives of a fellow Quincy?"

"To tell you the truth, I arrived days ago," Haschwalth said, evading Shizuo's question. "I have watched your movements. I have seen your actions, my fellow quincies. I also saw the two shinigami set up their attack, along with another Quincy."

"S-sir?" Shizuo said, blinking. What was this? He had seen it, yet not acted, not even warned them?

"I don't… I do not understand, Holy One."

"Kidnapping children." Haschwalth said flatly. "For what purpose, I cannot imagine."

"They were a tribute!" Shizuo exclaimed. "These foul abominations, these offenses to Quincy purity, would have belonged to the Sternritter, yours to do away with as you pleased! Proof of our dedication to Quincy ideals-"

"This is exactly why your kind left for Japan in the first place," Haschwalth said. His voice was calm still, but there was a clear mark of distaste there. "Your own arrogance caused your fall from grace, and now you pitiful survivors resort to this? His Majesty would never tolerate such low behaviour. Your clan exiled itself, two centuries ago, because war broke you, because despite the most thorough thrashing imaginable, you were not at all humbled. Still arrogant, still radical and extreme, still believing blood makes you 'pure'. Look where you are now- stealing others' children from them, and expecting somebody else to clean up your own mess. This is pathetic. Some would say it had been best if your kind had all died in the last shinigami war."

Flabbergasted, Shizuo watched as Haschwalth reached for his sword, slowly pulling it out of its sheath. It was long, sleek and gray, not richly decorated but looking quite sharp; the blade of a warrior, well-used and well kept. Immediately, Shina and Reimaru were on their feet, bows drawn, acting with the reflexes of well-trained warriors. Arrows primed, aimed at the knightly Quincy, they were ready to fight- and die.

Once, when he was a child, Shizuo had seen his father perform Hirenkyaku for the first time. It had seemed like magic; moving so fast from one place to the other that it seemed like you had teleported, impossible for his young eyes to follow. What happened next made him feel like a child all over again. He sensed the arrows letting loose from their bows, flying with speed at their target-

Then the next thing he knew, Haschwalth stood behind them, blood dripping from his sword. He sensed, on some level, that he had moved, but it had been so fast, impossible to follow. With dread, he turned around to face him. There was a dull sound as Reimaru's head dropped to the roof's floor, his body toppling. Shina still had her head on, but there was a brutal cut deep into her chest, going right through the side of her chest, where her heart was. She had a look of complete shock on her face, and might have cried if she could. But life was fading from her, fast, and she sunk to her knees.

"Shizu… o…" She said, her voice almost inaudible, as she fell over, blood flowing from her chest as her body jerked just slightly, her death throes soon stopping.

Shizuo felt the bile rising in his throat, and fought the urge to collapse, to sink down next to his dead cousins.

"Why?!" He cried. "Why? What the hell are you doing? We are Quincies- fellow Quincies! There are so few of us left- are you mad? Why would you betray our proud legacy?"

Haschwalth pointed his sword at Shizuo, its tip only a foot away.

"You know nothing, Suin Shizuo," he said calmly. "If you knew even the first thing about the pride and chivalry of the Knights of Vanden, you would have kept quiet and propagated your sick little cult by your lonesome. We are warriors, and we preserve and value the Quincy ways- but not at the expense of the innocent. It should be beneath us, beneath any Quincy. You value purity above all else, yet all I see before me is a low, vile and impure individual, thinking himself justified doing anything because he had the 'right' father. You may die here, knowing that you will be the last of your kind."

Shizuo felt something indescribable. How could this be? How could a fellow Quincy be like this? How could this have happened? All he had ever wanted was to rebuild the glory of the eastern Quincies!

"N-not the last…" He managed to say. Something defiant had been better, but Shizuo's mind was not very collected.

"Yes," Haschwalth said, nodding. "Better yet, you may die knowing that the only surviving people of your kind have rejected or forgotten your wretched traditions. Perhaps one day we will approach them. In all likeliness, they will be far more decent people than yourself. Although, that is not much of an achievement."

Shizuo's dread and frustration finally boiled over.

"YOU TRAITOROUS SCU-"

He began to scream the words, but before he was halfway done speaking, his head sailed through the air, landing on the rooftop beside Reimaru's. A perpetual expression of anger was left on his face, stained by blood for eternity.

Quietly, Haschwald flicked the blood off his blade.

It had taken Erza some time to find them. She was not the best of trackers, and had nearly despaired of tracing them down when she caught their signature, high up on a tall building. It had flared up quickly, then faded just as soon, but there was no mistaking it. Within the minute, Erza had sped up through the air, landing on the edge of the rooftop, her sword out and ready.

"All right then, you-" She began. Then she saw it, and she blinked. Two heads, severed from their bodies. One with half her chest cut through. Large amounts of blood, pooling together from the three bodies. She nearly winced; this was unexpected. She was used to this, though, too used to it, and her eye immediately turned to the figure standing beside the bodies, casually wiping a longsword on a piece of cloth, before sheathing it. He was a different sort, Erza noticed- the kind most women would call handsome, and wearing a strange getup not so different from something she had once worn. Armour, fine plate, covered by a white robe with a single black cross on its chest. He didn't feel too powerful, not at first glance, but she could feel the thrum of reiatsu beneath- unmistakably Quincy, unmistakably powerful.

"Hey!" She cried out, not sure what to make of this. "What did you do?"

"I killed them." The man said simply, not even bothering to shrug. "I evaluated their call for aid. They were unworthy."

"Well…" Erza said, still nervously hanging on to her sword. He didn't seem hostile, but under the circumstances, she was not about to drop her guard.

"This is Quincy business." The man said. "I believe your business is finished as well, now that the children are safe."

Erza didn't reply. How did he know? Had he been spying? Uncertainly, she pointed her sword at him.

"You have some explaining to do," she said, looking at the three dead bodies, then back up to him.

"I really have no need to explain anything," he said, pulling up a hood from his cape, "and I have no interest in fighting you. I do not desire your death, shinigami."

"You sound awfully sure you'd win," Erza said. "I've surprised people who said that before."

He gave her a look, and she could practically feel him sensing her.

"You are strong," he said simply. "Very strong. Even moreso when pushed to your limits, I would wager. It would not be enough."

With that, he turned around, and dashed away, and in a mere second he had nearly gotten out of vision.

"HEY!" Erza cried. What the hell was going on? Who was he- and why was a Quincy killing Quincies? With a sword, at that? "COME BACK!"

For a second, she considered going after him, but he was fast- impossibly fast, even. With how hard it had been to track just these three, following him seemed pointless- and he was right. Her business was done, and the three Quincies were no longer a problem. Sighing, Erza jumped off the rooftop, and headed back.

A little while later, Haschwalth landed well outside Tokyo city, and perched on a flat rock by a pond, awaiting his travelling partner. This had been an ugly errand- not particularly scarring, nor very difficult mentally or physically, but… ugly. It was all too easy to think oneself above the rest of mankind simply because of having discovered immortality and immense power, or for living with a purpose greater than most if not all humans, but this visit had been a reminder that no one group was above corruption. This clan had been Quincy, and not even shoddy ones- though far below him in terms of accumulated strength and experience, they had preserved the skills of their forebears remarkably well. Yet for all that, they had become corrupt, extreme and vile, a blemish on all that it meant to be a Quincy. It was a reminder that with power came the risk of corruption, that blind adherence to tradition was nothing more than dogma, blind faith; a narrowing of the mind, a cage for the intellect and the death of independent thinking.

He was the grand master of the knights of Vanden, second only to his majesty, and he had spent his life in selfless service to his order, yet he would think it foolish to assume that he was pure, that he would not be corrupted and consumed by zealous certainty if he let his belief become pure faith, such as it had been with the Japanese Quincies. This errand had been a grim reminder of the worst among their kind, and though he felt a little ashamed to admit it even to himself, their deaths had brought him more relief than regret. Thoughtfully, he ran a couple of fingers over the leg-plate of his armour, its rigidity and strength reassuring him. Before too long, he would be required to change out of it in favour of a suit, to board a plane back to Germany. He always hated the change- being out of his plate mail always made him feel naked; having worn it for a millennium made it feel like a second layer of skin, like taking it off made him naked.

His ponderings were interrupted, as his lone companion sailed through the air, landing less than gracefully- but with perfect ease- a few yards away. He had sensed her, of course, but had paid it little mind. Having the time to think by yourself was an underrated everyday pleasure, he had found, and he relished the opportunity to do so.

"Paladin Bambietta," he said, in acknowledgment of her presence.

"Haschwalth," she said, nodding. "Man, what a pain in the ass mission…"

"As I recall, you were the one who explicitly asked to come along," Haschwalth said coolly. "Something along the lines of 'this fuckin' castle is so boring I could kill myself', I believe."

"Oh, being holed up at base is worse, don't get me wrong," Bambietta said, rolling her eyes.

She looked young, as most of the senior knights did, but she was over four centuries old. Her black hair, and the way she scowled, would have lent her immense dignity if not for how she seemed to consider dignity equivalent to, as she put it, 'having a stick up your ass'. She was fierce, loud and outgoing, and though Haschwalth was a consummate professional, he didn't mind her attitude much. Not that he would ever admit it.

"It's just that this boring ass country don't make no goddamn sense," she continued. "Can ya believe how many spiritually aware people there was in that town? Are all of them like this?"

"It's a local phenomenon, I believe," Haschwalth said, only half paying attention. "Did you carry out your orders?"

"Sure, sure," Bambietta said, shrugging and putting a hand to the sabre at her side, her chosen spirit weapon. "Complete extermination. Every last Quincy in that clan is toast. That's to say, I cut 'em with the sharp edge of my sword. Till they died. From all the bleeding and fatal injuries."

"No survivors?"

"None, zilch, nada," Bambietta said. "I didn't say 'kinda sorta exterminated a little bit', I said complete extermination."

Haschwalth furrowed his brows. "You did not touch the innocent ones? I explicitly told you-"

Bambietta let out an annoyed groan, rolled her eyes, and said,

"No, mister supreme grand master, sir, I didn't lay a finger on those ex-quincies or their half-breed children." Mockingly, she put on a deep voice, and a deliberately poor imitation of Haschwald:

"You are not to touch those innocent to the corruption of these Quincies. If you do, I can't touch myself thinking about honor and justice and we really can't have that, Paladin Bambietta Basterbine."

"Very well." Haschwalth said, and nodded.

"After all," Bambietta said, continuing her mockery, "where would we be without our great and grand ideals like justice, truth and saving puppies from-"

"Enough." Haschwalth's voice did not go up, but there was a firm enough edge to his tone that Bambietta knew to shut up. She was disrespectful, crude and vulgar, but she at least knew her place- if only when she had to.

"Was this really necessary?" She asked, after a few moments of silence. "I mean, not that I mind butchering these shitty people," she added hastily, "but you'd think we'd want our fellow Quincies to not die. Even if they're assholes."

"His majesty sent me here to evaluate them," he said simply, his voice the vocal equivalent of a shrug. "He hoped that perhaps the time spent in isolation after their defeat would have humbled them; made them better people. I disbelieved it, but I do not resent being sent here- they were worth the benefit of the doubt, at least."

"Seems not, if we just killed all of them," Bambietta said.

"It's a matter of principle," Haschwalth said, and knew the kind of face Bambietta would make seconds before she made it. "We had to give them a chance. As it turned out, they were more extreme than ever, resorting to kidnapping, even being delusional enough to think we would approve of their actions. So it was my decision to get rid of them for good. The world needs not a cabal of frothing zealots with too much power for their own good."

"Well, good thing we're not zealous." Bambietta said cheerily. "What's that the oath to his majesty says? Complete and absolute loyalty?" She grinned.

"Do not mock his majesty!" Haschwalth said firmly. "He has earned our trust-"

"Just fucking with ya," Bambietta said with a grin. "Tell you the truth, this trip wasn't so bad. Nothing to get your blood flowing like making other people's blood flow."

Haschwalth took a deep breath, and resisted the urge to sigh. He had the patience of a saint, but Bambietta had a way of trying him- or most people around her- like a devil.

"Let us go," he said, standing up. "There is no need to dally here."

"Fine by me," Bambietta said, shrugging. "Can we stop for ice cream first, though?"

"…if you must." Haschwalth muttered. Like a devil…

That night, the children were sluggish. Yoruichi had assured them the kido's effect would wear off after a good night's sleep before darting away to her own business, and after seeing them home safely, Erza agreed to stay the night. It did not take much convincing to put them to bed, and after making a quick call about Isshin- he was recovering just fine- Masaki made them a warm cup of tea, and the two of them more or less collapsed on the couch. Masaki managed a single sip before her hand started to shake, and she spilled a fair amount before she quickly put the cup down at the table. Her shoulders heaved; her entire body seemed to shake, and Erza quickly put an arm around her, pulling her in close.

She didn't cry, didn't make much of any noises for a good while, just shaking, and Erza held her firmly in her arms. She knew how she felt, even though it had been a long time since she herself had been that shaken- nothing could have prepared Masaki for this kind of trauma, while most of Erza's life had been hard enough to harden her without breaking her.

"There, there," she mumbled, hoping she was saying the right things. "They're safe now. We got them out. It's safe. We did good. Everything's fine now, everything's fine…"

"They almost got them, Erza," Masaki whimpered, her voice little more than a squeal, "if-if that Urahara hadn't helped us, if Yoruichi hadn't-"

"We'd have got them back." Erza said firmly. "Somehow, no matter what. What matters is, we did get them back, safe and sound. They're safe now, and this- this will never happen again."

"…you're sure they're all dead?" Masaki said, breathing heavily. "You didn't let them go?"

"I'm very sure," Erza mumbled. She hadn't yet told Masaki of the blond, armoured man- she had no idea what to make of it. He didn't seem like an enemy. But you could never know…

"Thank you, Erza," Masaki mumbled, still leaned onto her friend, "I… I know it was hard for you to do that, but… it had to be…"

"I know, I know," Erza said, nodding uncomfortably. She sighed, leaned back and stared up into the roof. "…it's not the first time I've killed, anyway."

"Oh?" Masaki said, still sounding shaky, but a little more composed. "You never talk about your old life, and I don't try to pry…"

"I killed a man to save the life of a close friend." Erza said simply. "He was a criminal, and a ruthless thug. Many would have said he deserved to die. Even so, it weighed on my conscience."

"Why, though?" Masaki said. "I'm not saying it shouldn't, but…"

"It seems justified? Yes, it does." Erza said, looking Masaki in the eyes. "I… well…" She took a deep breath, and sighed. "Back when I was still alive, in another world, I lived in a guild. It was… like a very large family, I suppose. We had… a code, of sorts. A set of values. Killing wasn't one of them. It wasn't something we discussed, because we weren't the philosophical sort, we just sort of… didn't kill people. If at all possible. Because… that's something you can't take back, and who can say I have that right?"

"I thought you weren't philosophical?" Masaki replied. Good- a comeback. She was getting distracted from the shock of things, which was reason enough to continue.

"I'm not, not really," Erza mumbled, "but everyone thinks these things, don't they?"

"They do," Masaki said, nodding. "But… did you think those things when you broke down the door and cut those Quincies down?"

Erza didn't answer, but kept her eyes steady, looking right at Masaki.

"I know I didn't. I shot to kill, each time," Masaki continued, "even though I know all their names. Even though I grew up around most of these people. I'm not sorry…" She stopped herself. "Well, in a way I am. I wish it didn't have to be like that. But when I lined up an arrow, when I took aim and released, I couldn't care less. They had my children, and… I would kill every one of them to get them back if I had to. If they were on their knees begging for mercy, I'd kill them still if it meant getting them back."

Erza shifted uncomfortably. This kind of talk scared her a little; it reminded her of how far somebody could go if only they thought they were right. She couldn't be sure how much of this Masaki meant; you said strange and extreme things when you were very upset, but it was unsettling still.

"I didn't… think about that then, no," Erza admitted awkwardly.

"That's what I mean," Masaki said quietly. "When the things that matter, that really matter are at stake, then what you think is right and wrong doesn't matter. It's like… I don't know. A luxury?"

"It's not a luxury," Erza said, quietly but firmly. "It's part of what makes us what we are. But… I understand. It's not like I was some naïve, moralizing idealist even back then. I was…" She trailed off, and remembered her childhood. A painful place, one she was not willing to share- not just yet. "I know a lot about human cruelty. More than you do, I think. And maybe 'right' and 'wrong' don't always matter. Maybe they don't even exist, who knows? But I'm going to act like they do, and you should too."

"Of course," Masaki said, nodding. "Thank you, Erza… for everything."

"It was nothing," Erza said weakly, managing a smile. It had been no herculean feat to beat those Quincies, yet the experience had left her drained. "You know… one day you're really going to have to tell your kids the truth."

"Maybe." Masaki said, in a tone that made it sound like an unambiguous 'no'. "Not… not yet, though."

Erza felt the urge to protest, to lecture her, to tell her she had nearly lost her children just now because they weren't protected- but now was not the time. Quietly, she sat there on the couch, Masaki leaning on her, and Erza leaning on Masaki. One day, she thought, one day they have to know, no matter what Masaki thinks…

But not today.

And there we have it my friends! The first appearance, of the vandenreich! Oh wait im sorry, not the vandereich, the knights of vanden!

Some of you may be curious as to why this change was done. Its not because I didnt like them. I actually find the concept super interesting. A bunch of Quincys hidding away waiting for revenge on soul reapers for the genocide the suffered, while acting like Nazis? Its so crazy that I love it. I got a "empire from star wars" vibe from them.

But Greatkingratt...well, he dosnt like them. Period. I don't blame him. The potential, while great, wasn't what we got. I only ever really liked 9 out of the 26 stern ritter. In fact, here's some words from him.

Greatkingratt88: "So as you may have noticed, we made some changes to the Vandenreich. Radical changes. Let me just be frank here: I hate the Vandenreich. I hate the arc they appear. I hate their themes, I hate their hax, I hate their stupid Nazi uniforms. I hate most of everything about them. I mean, psychotic quincy Nazis? Really?

So in mutual agreement with my friend we have decided to do something cool instead. We're exchanging the Nazi coats for a coat of arms and steel armour. These are teutonic knights, and they are nowhere near the excessive villainy of their canonical counterparts. Expect heavy changes, both to their themes, their powers and their characters as well. Some will be downright cut out. The Vandenreich arc is one of the worst in bleach, and I intend to do my best to rectify this, and this includes a major makeover. We already have ghost samurai and Spanish superghosts, so throwing in European knights into the mix makes perfect sense.

The ridiculous stuff, like a Mexican wrestler? Or the letter L? GONE. Powers will be overhauled, modified, and changed to be less gimmicky, and more logically consistent. This is exactly what fan fiction is for.

That's all. Peace out!"

...Yeah he dosnt like them...At all. (One of the MANY different opinions we have over bleach and Fairy Tail.) Now while I actually LIKE Mask D Masculine (Not pepe though...FUCK that guy. So glad Liltotto ate him.

So I had to think of a way to make them work for the both of us...and while doing so, I came across a rumor. Apperently, the orignal idea for the vandreich wasnt for them to be Nazis...but more like Knights. Crusaders. Knights of a holy order.

I knew once i heard that rumor, that we HAD to go this route. Its a fun idea, coming up with what stays the same, what changes, everything!

The knights of vanden are a VERY different group from their cannon counter parts. Ive kept the things ive liked, but the group isnt going to be killing their own men just for failure. Their actually GOOD people...Ok, MOST of them. Still got some bad apples here and there, but what group dosnt?

I could go into so much more detail...but where the fun in that? Half the fun of reading a story for the first time is the mystery of NOT knowing whats going to happen next.

One last thing. This was the FINAL chapter before cannon. Thats right my friends, as of next chapter, we are going to be in the substitute soul reaper arc! THIS ive waited years for. I have alot of great things planned that im sure youll all love.

Thanks for reading. PLEASE leave a review and let us know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews are our main motivators after all.

(Also Fairy Tail chapter 470...HOLY SHIT I KNEW ACNOLOGIA WAS TOUGH BUT...HOLY SHIT!)