Chapter 3

Face Off

The team from Soul Society stood on the edge of Tenrou Island and gazed upon the group they had been sent to put to rest through soul burial before such powerful souls turned into Hollows. Toshiro, Rangiku, Byakuya, Renji, Kenpachi, Yachiru, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia, Ichigo, Chad, Uryū, and Orihime stood on the edge of the cliff while a circular door floated behind them.

"It's best to pass on with dignity," Captain Kuchiki Byakuya said to Lucy's statement.

Kenpachi had an animal-like grin. "Which one of you bastards is the one with the insane spiritual energy?" the captain with an eye patch barked like a hungry wolf eager for prey.

Atop of Kenpachi's shoulder, Yachiru hummed and looked over to the side where the three Exceeds stood together. "Kitties!" she squealed loudly.

Kenpachi stuck his finger in his ear. "Shit! Do you have to fuckin' shriek like that?"

Rukia blushed at seeing the cats. "They're...kind of adorable. And they have wings. Angel cats? So...so...cute!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. The small woman herself was kind of cute! Definitely his type. Too bad she was an enemy.

Lucy gasped and covered her mouth as she trembled. "Shinigami! Then...we're really dead."

"I told you, I ain't dead yet," Gajeel sneered.

"Looks like it can't be helped," Laxus sighed.

"Juvia shall fight to keep Gray-sama alive," the rain woman declared as she stayed right by Gray's side.

Lisanna tilted her head as she inspected the newcomers. "Look at those three," she said, pointing to Orihime, Chad, and Uryū. "They're dressed in normal clothes. Are they civilians?"

Ikkaku looked over to Ichigo and his friends. "What are you bastards doing here anyway? This is an important mission from the captain-commander himself."

"Beats me," Ichigo shrugged. "We came with Rukia because Renji wanted to spar. Then they were called to go on this mission, and we came along."

"We can help, at least," Orihime offered timidly. "Oh! Hey, look." She pointed to the pink-haired boy. "That one isn't a Plus. He has no chain."

"A Hollow?" Uryū asked, glaring at what he took to be nothing more than some yankee with horrible fashion sense.

Renji glared over at him. "Does he look like a Hollow? Besides, he has no hole in his chest."

"Who you callin' hollow?" Natsu yelled.

Gildarts took his shoulder and held him back. "They're shinigami, Natsu. I'm sure it's merely part of their jargon. Now, excuse us for being ignorant," he said, addressing the shinigami respectfully, "but since none of us have ever been dead before, we'd like an explanation. What are these," he asked, lifting his chain, "and if we're dead, why are there no bodies?"

Toshiro took a few steps forward. He sensed that here was a man who could be reasoned with. "You are indeed dead, and that is your Chain of Fate. As each link erodes, you take steps closer to becoming a Hollow, a belligerent spirit that must be destroyed. As for your bodies, we don't know all the details. The reports said there were no living people on this island. All animals and humans, wiped out."

"Oh no!" Wendy sobbed. "Then it's true?"

"Then why don't some of them have a Chain of Fate?" Yumichika asked in a drawling voice.

"The pinkie has his chain back," Rangiku noted.

Flames shot from the top of Natsu's hair. "Who ya callin' Pinkie, cow-tits?"

"Whaaaaa?" the blonde woman glowered.

"Strange indeed," Byakuya observed impassively. "Like in Captain Kurotsuchi's report: dead but not dead."

"Told ya," Natsu chuckled, crossing his arms haughtily. "All we gotta do is keep beating shinigami and we'll be home in no time!"

"Do you honestly think you can beat three captains of the Gotei 13?" Toshiro challenged.

"Gotei 13?" Gray wondered. "Are they some new dark guild, like Oracion Seis?"

"Well, there are thirteen of them," Erza reasoned.

"Thirteen of them, twenty-one of us," Gajeel smirked. "They have three captains, we have three S-Class mages. Plus the Master."

Wendy looked up from Makarov. "He can't fight yet. His injuries from fighting the black dragon are severe. I...I'm trying my best, but my magic is wearing out."

"Don't push yourself, Wendy," Charle warned.

Yachiru gave a whistle-pitch squeal, and Kenpachi covered his ear in agony. "The kitty talks!" she cried, bouncing up and down on his back.

"Goddammit, Yachiru!" Kenpachi groaned, wiggling his finger in his left ear to get out the ringing.

Rukia was enthralled. "Angel cats...talking...so cute!"

Orihime saw the little blue-haired girl using a green light. "What a strange healing energy," she whispered in awe. Wendy's healing magic was unlike any spiritual energy Orihime had yet sensed.

Toshiro eyed Natsu. "You must be the dragon slayer I heard about. You don't look like much."

"Back at ya, shrimp," Natsu snapped.

"Pardon me," Lucy said, holding Natsu back. "Before the flame-brain here goes overboard again...are we really, truly...dead?" she asked with a nervous bite to her lower lip.

"That's a question we intend to answer," Byakuya calmly replied. Resolving this without a fight was best, after all. The captain-commander warned them to try and solve this without fighting. He doubted such uncouth people could be reasoned with, but the elitist was at least going to try to be civil.

Rukia saw the calmness in Byakuya's steely eyes. All of these people showed signs of a recent brutal battle; the wounds on their bodies alone seemed highly suspicious, completely unlike normal Pluses. They were tired and hurt. Most looked like hardly more than Ichigo's age, one was a small child, the old man with them was badly wounded, plus three were cats—were they really cats? She felt a fight would be unfair to them. She decided to take Byakuya's example and try to seek reason.

"Something traumatic obviously happened to your souls," Rukia explained. She waved to those with her. "We're from Soul Society, where spirits like yourself dwell. We've come to help you pass on into Soul Society. We've not come to harm you or fight you, so long as you don't resist. We are psychopomps, nothing more. If you don't pass on, the chains connecting you to this world will tear out your heart, and you'll become Hollows. It is the duty of the shinigami to assist souls to pass on, or if we can't reach them in time, to purify the Hollow so that the soul may find rest."

"Is there really no way to just let us live?" Cana asked.

Toshiro shook his head. "If your chains were still connected to your bodies, then yes, we can restore a soul that way. However, your bodies are nowhere to be found. The mystery of your condition could simply be a case of the circumstances surrounding your deaths."

"Acnologia," Gildarts glowered. Could that black dragon be causing problems for them even in the afterlife, preventing them from moving on normally?

Gray hummed as he thought this over. He looked down again to the chain coming out of his chest. It was a disturbing sight, to say the least. "I admit, I don't want to plague the world as a mindless beast like Natsu..."

"Hey!" the dragon slayer yelled.

"...but I also don't want to lose the entire core of our guild all at once. The friends we have waiting back home need us. If we're not dead, yet not alive, then I plan to fight for life."

"Agreed," Erza nodded emphatically. "To keep Fairy Tail together, I will fight anyone, even a shinigami." She spread her arms out, and in a glowing flash, she was dressed in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "I will fight to stay here with my nakama."

"I will not allow that," Byakuya warned her. "You will go to Soul Society. We can research your condition there."

"I ain't going to no place filled with dead people," Laxus glared.

Natsu raised his fist, and flames leaped up. "A chance to fight a shinigami captain? Alright! I'm all fired up!"

"I will extinguish those flames of yours," Toshiro warned.

"You!" Kenpachi shouted, and he thrust his finger over to Gildarts. "I felt it now, just briefly, but no doubt about it. You're the most powerful." His teeth bared in excitement. "I wanna see how strong a mage can be. You're mine!"

"Father!" Cana shouted.

He moved his arm out to block her. "He's dangerous. Stay with Mira."

Mirajane came up and pulled her back. "Come on, let them duke it out. No one alive or dead can beat Gildarts."

Rangiku sauntered up to them. "And no mere human can beat Captain Kenpachi. Why don't we three girls just sit back and watch the boys go crazy, eh? Ooh, do tell me where you get your cute outfits. Does Earthland have any good shopping centers?"

"Huh?" Cana grunted crudely.

"I heard you use some strange currency here...umm, Beli...Extol...Edels...no, Jewels, right? Ooh,'' she cried, hugging herself and swaying back and forth until her boobs almost popped out of her uniform and bounced hypnotically. "I can't wait to go shopping in Fiore!"

Rukia began to drift off toward Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily. "Here, angel kitties," she called with her hand out. "Good kitties. Come here."

Gray stood in her way. "You leave them out of this."

She backed away, then saw he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts. "Um...not that I mind the eye candy, but...where are your clothes?"

He looked down to his bare torso, then turned his eyes back up to her. "I died without them on," he explained simply.

"Ah, but...why did you die half-naked? Were you really fighting without clothes on?"

Lucy leaned over to her. "Trust me, it's a loooooong explanation."

Ikkaku went over to Gajeel. "I don't like the way you've been glaring at me, bastard."

The iron dragon slayer sneered. "The only thing glaring is that bald head of yours."

Ikkaku leaned into him threateningly. "Ya want some?"

Levy ran up to Gajeel. "You're hurt. Stop it."

"Don't worry about me, shrimp," he chuckled. "I ain't hurt bad enough where I can't knock a baldy on his cue-ball head."

Renji saw two of the mages approaching him and sighed that both of them looked strange. "Ganging up, eh?"

Freed looked at his zanpakutō with a careful eye. "A unique sword, to say the least."

Bickslow laughed with his tongue lolling out. "It seems that even in the afterlife, I still have my babies." His group of spirit-possessed dolls danced around his head.

"Shit," Renji sighed. "And here I was looking forward to testing out Ichigo's new powers. I guess I have to deal with you two first."

Yumichika sighed and looked around at the potential opponents. He saw Lisanna and Juvia standing next to each other as groups began to break apart for their own separate battles. "Well, I suppose you two are a bit cute. I hate to fight ugly people, you know."

"Uh, thanks...I guess?" Lisanna wondered. The feathers on his eyelashes drew in all attention and made her stare. "Aren't those heavy? You know, on your eyelids. The asymmetrical aspect to your face detracts rather than flatters."

Yumichika gasped and covered his mouth. "Are you calling me...ugly?"

"Uh, no," she smiled. "It's just a bit gaudy is all."

Juvia stared at him flatly. "It's hideous."

Yumichika looked like his whole world just cracked like a dropped mirror. "H-h-hideous? I can't forgive you for saying that, you...you..." and in a rush, he yelled as an insult, "you woman all in blue who can't even color-coordinate her outfit!" He huffed after saying it and pulled forth his zanpakutō.

Lucy firmed up her determination. "Well, if this is how things are going to be..." She pulled out one of her Gold Keys. "Open the Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

The horse-head Spirit poofed before her saluting. "You called, moshimoshi?"

Uryū scoffed softly and shoved his glasses up his nose. "Really, an archer? Leave this one to me."

"Uryū," Orihime warned. "Maybe we shouldn't get involved. They're not exactly dead, and we weren't even invited."

"Relax," he grinned, patting her shoulder in confidence. "It's an archery contest, nothing more. I must say," he said, pulling forth his Quincy bow, "I've never fought a Celestial Spirit. To go one on one with Sagittarius himself is an honor."

"A Quincy?" Sagittarius realized in shock. "I've heard of your kind. A contest it shall be then! Arrow to arrow, moshimoshi!"

Elfman pointed at them. "Contests are manly. Real men don't fear the Reaper. I'll take on all of you at once at a wrestling contest."

"Not interested," Uryū sighed. "Besides, I am not a shinigami. I am a Quincy."

"Then you, dark guy," Elfman said pointing to Chad, who raised an eyebrow at being addressed so rudely. "You look manly. How about we wrestle a bit, eh? Two men grappling one another...I'll show you what a real man is like."

"Uh...thanks but no thanks," Chad said hesitantly. He wondered if this muscled brute realized that his challenge sounded...sexually suggestive.

Evergreen folded her arms and looked away from Elfman. "You're an idiot. But I can't just sit back."

"Evergreen, you're hurt," Elfman warned in worry, showing his rare tender side.

"Then I'll take on the girl. She looks weak."

"What?" Orihime gasped. "Kurosaki-kun, do I really look weak? I...I thought maybe I got a bit stronger. Uh, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo's eyes were on Laxus. The man had said very little so far, but his focus was solely on the substitute shinigami.

"You!" Laxus nodded. "I feel something strange about you. Not magical, but close. You're pretty strong, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Ichigo glared. "Who the hell are you?"

"Laxus Dreyar. And you, bastard?"

He raised his chin a bit in a cocky gesture. "The name's Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Well then, Ichigo, how about it? Seems this guild hasn't had enough fighting for one day. Personally, I'm pretty warn out, but I'd be shamed if I let these brats fight a shinigami and I just sat on my ass."

"Kurosaki-kun, no," Orihime warned.

"Don't worry, Orihime," he smiled. "I've never let you down, and I won't now. We'll leave sorting out the mystery of their existence to the Gotei 13. I just need to teach his spiky punk a lesson."

Nearby, Yachiru popped up right in front of Wendy. "Hiya!" she yelled gleefully. Wendy screamed and scampered back. The little shinigami vice-captain giggled at the frightened reaction. "You're sorta silly. I like you. What's your name?"

"Uh...Wendy Marvell."

"I'm Yachiru! Nice ta meet ya! I'll stay by you until Ken-chan is done, okee Wen-wen?"

"Are...are you gonna kill me?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"Nope! You're dead, right?" she grinned happily. "I just need to stay here when Ken-chan goes all out, and I wanna play with the kitties. So cuuuuuute!" She grabbed up Pantherlily into a tight hug. He gasped for air as she squeezed him tightly.

"Lily!" Happy cried out. "Hang in there."

"One...strong...child," he gagged, trying to release some of the pressure on his throat.

"Talking angel kitties are silly," Yachiru giggled, swinging him back and forth happily.

End Chapter 3

A/N: I've set up opponents. I can hardly wait to write the various battles!

Some fun with the currencies Rangiku lists:
Beli = One Piece currency
Extol = One Piece, Skypiea currency
Edels = Rave Master currency (Hiro-sensei's other manga)
Jewels = Fairy Tail's currency

And I gotta say... I love Yachiru! XD

P.S. - Apologies! I have to go on hiatus, but I plan on finishing this story once I get some free time. It's gonna be fun to write!