I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!

DarkIrisGypsy- Kisuke and Hiromi are not over yet. I still have a few good chapters of them left in this story ;)

Shaybo27-Again, thank you for liking my Zanpakto idea. Muramasa was just too cool to leave him alone; that and some of them were extremely sexy and awesome! XXDD

Shannyrox101: Yeah, sorry about cutting it off like that but it was a perfect place to do so, XD. Don't worry, that 'special' little chapter will be coming up soon ;)

Chapter Twenty-One

Why My Squad?

"Hitomi!" Kisuke had followed Hiromi back to her home and towards the very last door of the hall. He raised an eyebrow at the name before peering into the room. The large, side door was open but Kisuke's eyes were caught on the two inside the room. One was a very sickly looking woman that resembled Hiromi. That surprised him but what stunned him more was the man beside her.

~Sosuke?~ Kisuke looked at the 5th Squad Lieutenant. ~What is he doing here? And just who is that woman?~

"Hitomi!" Hiromi gasped again in worry. "What is it? What's wrong?" The sickly woman didn't say a word. Instead she lifted her hand and pointed at the door that led outside. The Captain took a few steps out into the backyard and froze. The rest of the Squad was out there, all laughing and talking, but it was the ones they were talking to that caught her attention.

Hiromi's eyes widened as she just stared at them. "You…you're all back. You're all oaky!"

Chisa, Tamiko, and Ayami stood before all of them, smiles and smirks across their faces. They were no longer in their black robes but the white ones that resembled what all the Arrancars in Hueco Mundo had been dressed in.

"I apologize, Captain," Chisa began. "On being-" She was cut off as Hiromi dove into her, wrapping her arms around her friend. Chisa gave a soft smile before hugging her back

Kisuke watched with a smile of his own as she hugged the other two women as well. It had been hard on her over what had happened to her Squad members and now that they were back…Kisuke doubted that he would be able to continue with what he had been planning to do with her for her birthday; for today, at least.

"You," Kisuke turned to his left. That man from Hueco Mundo, Raiden, stood beside the Arrancar sisters. He knew that he was an Arrancar as well. "You're the one that made those strange devices for my sisters, aren't you?"

"Yes, that was me." It seemed that this was the one responsible for helping the trio find their way back to the Soul Society. Why else would he be here?

"Could you…perhaps, make another one for myself?" The man asked him.

The Captain pulled a surprised look. "Another of you wish to stay here in the Soul Society?"

"Well, after helping those three women escape…I'm not exactly going to be welcomed back." Raiden sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's all right, Kisuke," Faile walked forward and placed an arm on the other man's left shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on him. You just…do you thing."

The Captain scratched the back of his head. "I guess another one won't be a problem…as long as your Captain doesn't mind."

"I don't think that she will." Faile grinned and pulled the man and the sister's away from the blond captain. "So, tell me, why are the three of you here again?"

Kisuke rolled his eyes and turned back to the house. He couldn't see into the dark room anymore; the doors had been shut. Who was that woman in there? And what was Aizen doing here? Questions were just whirling around in his mind.

"Kisuke," the man turned at his name. Hiromi wore a worried face as she approached him. "I need to apologize for running off like that. I can assure you that-"

"It's all right," Kisuke silenced her. "I might not know everything but I can see that it is important. Perhaps next time, before we pick up where we left off, you will be able to tell me a bit about what's going on?"

She smiled as a blush peeled out across her cheeks. "I will be able to tell you everything."

"That woman in the room with Aizen included, yes?" He asked her.

Hiromi nodded again. "Of course. But you have to be quiet about everything, understand?"

"You can trust me, Hiromi." Kisuke placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me anything and I promise that it won't ever slip from my mouth unless you tell me otherwise." She nodded and then he stepped back. "I can see that some talking with your Squad is in order, so I'll just leave."

"I'm sorry about all of this," Hiromi caught him. "I know that…that you had things planned for all day and…"

"Don't fret over it, Hiromi." He smiled. "I'll get you another day and make sure that nothing will interfere with our time together."

She nodded and watched for a moment as the man walked away. She wanted to chase after him and just…just eat him up but she had work to do. She would get the Kisuke later.

~You've got no idea

What you're messing with here boy

I've got 12 inch rims on my chair

That's how I roll ya'll~

Squad 14 was all now in the dining hall. Hiromi watched as they all talked to the three women that had been missing for two years. They all looked and acted the same, but there was just something going on. All three of the women were hiding something.

Chisa wore a soft smile on her face as she kept her voice low as she and Byakuya talked. The moment her brother had seen her, Byakuya hadn't let her out of his sights again. She seemed to be enjoying herself but Hiromi took notice of the soft, far off look the woman held when she thought that no one was watching.

Tamiko was silent through most of it, staring down at the table beneath her as she was lost in her thoughts. She responded when people talked to her, but her attitude had changed…at least until Faile broke through and brought back forward for a little bit.

Ayami was still her normal self, laughing and talking with her sister and Miyuki but there was a cold feeling radiating off of her when she stopped talking. She didn't want to make eye contact with any of them and was always glancing over their shoulders.

What had happened to these three women?

"Chisa," Ukari began first. "What happened after, after you jumped in to fight that Arrancar? The one with the blue hair?" Hiromi had told them everything when she had brought them together to tell them what happened.

"Grimmjow?" Chisa tilted her head a bit.

"How do you know his name?" Kameyo sounded surprised.

"The idiot wouldn't stop announcing himself," the female Kuchiki shook her head. "I don't know but he seems to like fighting. Sorta reminded me of Captain of Squad 11."

"Please, don't remind me of Squad 11," Faile slapped a hand over his face as he instantly thought of Zaraki.

"He was a cocky little brat, huh?" Akihiro commented. (He had already gladly introduced himself to the three nice ladies)

"Yeah, that's Grimmjow, all right." Kaoru sighed, taking a drink from her glass.

"We fought for a little bit and I'm not so sure what happened after that," Chisa continued. "They were all just…just gone after a few more moments." Hiromi closed her eyes.

"What?" Miyuki sounded surprised.

"Don't ask us to explain it," Tamiko shook her head. "I was fighting Ulqiorra when I heard some kind of strange sound and them they were all gone. Like something had called them." Hiromi bit her tongue.

"What about you?" Manami asked Ayami.

The woman placed her tea down before folding her hands in her lap. "I don't remember anything after being shot by that green light. Cero, or that's what Raiden called it." She looked at the Arrancar that had the number two of the side of his face. Hiromi opened her eyes and shot the three women a look.

She wasn't stupid. She knew right away from the moment that they started talking. The three of her Squad members were lying. But why? What had really happened in Hueco Mundo?

The story went on about Chisa and Tamiko finding eachother and then searching for Ayami for a day or two before they searched for a place to stay. It took a while before they found a cave in a bunch of white trees and tried their hardest to take care of their wounds. Apparently the sun never set in Hueco Mundo so they didn't know how long it had been. They were surprised to learn that it had been two years since they were sent on that mission. It wasn't too long after that that Raiden found them and had taken care of their wounds. He had made them wait for them to get fully healed before he opened a Garganta.

"A Garganta?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow. They all noticed the Arrancar sisters pull a look. "What's that?"

Raiden gave the two women beside him a look before shaking his head. "A Garganta is a portal that we Arrancars can create to travel from Hueco Mundo and other places.

"You could make a path?" Hiromi looked at the sisters. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't want to go back," Kaori answered her timidly. "If we opened the path then we were afraid you would send us back. We-"

"Look, Raiden took care of your girls. We knew he was there for them, that's why he didn't come back with us in the first place. They're safe, so why bother mulling over it and getting pissed that we didn't tell you?" Kaoru scowled.

Yuriko glared at the younger sister. "Your tongue is beginning to lose control. Don't make me give you another lesson in keeping it intact."

Shiori gave a small laugh before speaking in her rough voice- "Chisa and the others…are safe though…there should be no need…to be mad…with others. Too much…already." Everyone got what she was trying to say.

Hiromi nodded her head and leaned forward on the table. She was going to talk to the three women later. Perhaps then she could get the answers of what truly happened in the desert. "Yes, Shiori's right." She looked at the trio. "I am glad that you are all safe. Later, I'd like to talk to you all." They nodded and she then smiled. "Your brother decided to take up on your position, Chisa." She decided to comment on Byakuya. The Kuchiki flushed as all eyes turned to him. "You should be proud." Her gaze then turned to the male Arrancar at the end of the table. It was strange to be staring at him with that bony structure around his eyes. It made him look like a strange kind of bird. "Now, what about you?"

"What do you mean?" His deep voice asked.

"Are the three of you staying here?" She asked him. "Or are you going to return to Hueco Mundo now?"

Raiden closed his eyes. "Kaori and Kaoru are both now seen as deserters among our brethren after they helped you and your people escapes last time. If they were to ever return then their deaths would follow. Now that I have helped these three, the same fate will await me." He opened his eyes. "The sisters told me about the man that made the little objects for them. Their bracelets that hide their true forms. I asked for him to make me one."

"So now you're forcing yourself into our Squad?" Faile asked him, crossing his arms.

"Not into your Squad, but I will not be returning to Hueco Mundo." Raiden shook his head. "I'd rather just live as an outcast than kill the others I called my brothers for so many years when they come to attack me."

Hiromi watched for a moment in silence. "All right, I'll let you stay with us, like the sisters, if becoming a part of this Squad does not fault you. But let me tell you like I told your sisters. My Squad is not ranked by their power like the Arrancars and the other Squads of the Seireitei," Hiromi told him. "They are ranked by the order that they join. If you want to fight then be my guest, but that's not going to change your ranking in this Squad. You will still be Seat 18."

"18," Raiden paused for a moment. "Seems so much different after being called Espada two for so long." He looked back at the Captain. "And our origin and everything else to be kept secret, correct?"

"Yes," Hiromi nodded. "Nothing leaks out through this Squad. I trust these people here with my life. That's why there are only so few in this Squad compared to what the other Squads have in theirs. They know the punishment for their actions if they even mumble a word to any outside these walls."

Raiden stared at her for another moment before nodding. "Deal."

"All right!" Faile grinned. "Another man in the Squad! We can call ourselves the Mabudachi trio or something!"

Hiromi shook her head as the new Arrancar was jumped on by the whole Squad. ~Why is it always my Squad? Why do they all come to me?~

The weird people always come to her, don't they? XXDD

Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)