This chapter is shorter than normal, but enjoy it anyway.

I do not own Persona 4 or Bleach.

Chapter 7

Highs and Lows

Souji, meet us in Squad Thirteen's meeting room.

Thinking about the message he received, Souji walked in to the meeting room, and was greeted by a chorus of cheers.

Sitting around a long table were his friends, along with Captain Ukitake and Rukia.

Souji's mouth split into a smile as he saw the friends he hadn't seen for a month.

"About time you got here Senpai," Kanji said.

Still smiling, Souji sat next to a radiant Yukiko. "What is all this?"

"It's a party, Souji," Yosuke said from across the table. "To celebrate your promotion."

"Well, that was the excuse anyway," Chie said.

Rise nodded. "We just wanted to see you again, Senpai. It's been a long month."

Ukitake coughed. "If I may?" The assembled group nodded. Ukitake stood and raised his glass. "To Souji Seta, the new lieutenant of Squad Thirteen."

Everyone raised their glasses, and took a drink. Then, everyone started eating and talking. As he listened to everyone talking about their training in the last month, Souji couldn't help but feel happy. It felt like how it used to be in Inaba. Just being with his friends, having fun and enjoying themselves.

Eventually, Ukitake excused himself to rest, and Rukia left to see her brother, leaving the friends alone.

As the talk died down, and the time went on, they eventually went back to their own barracks, until eventually it was only Souji and Yukiko left.

Taking her hand, Souji pulled her to her feet. "Let's go for a walk."

They left the building, and walked under the stars, hand in hand. Neither one said anything until they came to a hill that Souji had found a couple of weeks prior.

Sitting down, they were arm in arm, leaning against each other. Souji kissed Yukiko's cheek and rubbed her arm. "I missed you."

Yukiko turned to kiss him on the lips. Her eyes were bright. "I missed you too."

The full moon showed down on them, and Yukiko suddenly got to her feet. "Yukiko?"

"There's something I want to show you, Souji." Yukiko drew her zanpakuto. "Just watch."

Yukiko held her sword in front of her, and placed her hand on the side of the blade. "Flash and burn, Amaterasu."

Yukiko swung the blade down, and it turned into a large fan. The frame was red, the fan white, with a sun and flames on the sides.

Souji smiled at the sight. "You obtained your shikai?"

Smiling, Yukiko spun, trailing fire from her fan, whirling it around her. Then she stopped, and the fire faded. "My Amaterasu absorbs light and turns it into fire." The fan folded up, and returned to sword form.

"Beautiful," Souji said, and reached for her. As she took his hand, he suddenly pulled her down on top of him. "But not half as beautiful as you."

Yukiko giggled at his cheesy words. "I love you, Souji Seta."

"And I love you, Yukiko Amagi."

Mitsuo Kubo sat in his cell, staring blankly at the walls. He'd been in prison for seven months, ever since those losers had beaten him.

There was a grunt, and a thud outside his cell. Then, the door opened.

Standing in the frame was a tall man with brown hair and cruel eyes. He held an ornate sword in his hand and had a hole in his chest.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man smiled. "She was right about you, human. You can be useful to us."

Kubo got to his feet, and stormed up to the man. "What are you talking about, loser?"

The man sighed, and quickly moved his arm, stabbing him through the heart. Kubo stepped back, shocked, and looked at the hole in his chest. "Why?"

Saying nothing, the man opened his left hand, showing a small orb. As Kubo stared at it, he was entranced by its glow, and his pain faded.

As it dimmed, Kubo looked down to see that he was now wearing a white robe. Looking behind him, Kubo saw himself laying on the ground. "What the hell?"

"I had to remove your soul," the man said in a smooth voice, "in order to give you the power to get your revenge on those who wronged you."

Out of the orb came a small blade, and handed it to Kubo. "This is a zanpakuto. With it, you can have your revenge. Will you join me?"

Kubo studied the blade, and saw two reflections in it. One was a boy with silver hair while the other was a girl with long black hair. "Of course I will."

Aizen walked through the halls of the prison, Izanami guiding him to his other potential servant.

The sword in his hand vibrated, telling him that he was there. With a single slash, the door fell apart.

The man's back was to them, staring out of the window to the moon. "What do you want?"
"Tohru Adachi?" Aizen was confused. This man hardly seemed to be a decent threat to his enemies.

"He is a most useful puppet. He has the potential for great malice."

"So," Adachi said, still not looking at them, "the conductor has found a new puppet to manipulate. But I heard that those kids were all dead, lost a month ago."

Aizen despised being referred to as a puppet. He was the one in control. "Indeed, but they moved on to the afterlife, and become shinigami."

Adachi slowly turned, a haunted look in his eyes. "Those brats have become gods of death?"

Aizen nodded. "And if you wish, I can make you one as well."

Adachi got to his feet "What do you need me to do?"

Aizen immediately responded by stabbing Adachi through the heart, and taking out the Hogyoku. As its light bathed him, Adachi's body fell, leaving his soul standing, holding a zanpakuto of his own.

Adachi looked over his sword, a wicked smile on his face.

Insert ominous music here.

Kubo and Adachi are taking the places of Tosen and Ichimaru as Aizen's puppets, uh, I mean lieutenants, in this story.

Similar to Kubo not having a persona, his zanpakuto is given to him by Aizen. And no, Adachi's zanpakuto is not Magatsu Izanagi. I've given him something original. Bonus points to anyone who can guess what they are.

Yukiko's shikai is about the size of Kitana's fan from Mortal Kombat.

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