(A/N: After talking with Xerosonic I have decided to work up the next chapter to this fic. There is more angst in this chapter. Also for those wondering Luke's Zanpakuto's name means Burning Fang and Asch's means Bloody Lightning).
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Tales of the Abyss
Asch's pov
It's been several fun filled weeks since the incident with Central 46. Soifon, despite my acquittal has been driving me harder with drills, missions and paperwork. I guess this is her idea of punishment for me getting myself arrested. Still it's better than losing my powers and being thrown in jail. Currently I was standing in front of my captain's office with an arm full of paperwork, when I arrived however, my captain had another guest with her: Captain Aizen of 5th Division.
"Hello Asch," he said taking note of me, "I was waiting for you."
I looked at my captain, "What's this about?"
"Captain Aizen has come here requesting your assistance," she said.
"I'm in the middle of an investigation regarding some incidents out in 66th East Rukongai. Most of my higher ranking officers are busy with their own troubles at the moment, and the ones that aren't I can't trust to handle something of this magnitude, so I looked elsewhere, outside my own division and that's when I remembered you and Luke from that day at the academy. However, I need your ruthless behavior in order to make sure that this job comes out cleanly," Captain Aizen told me.
"And if I refuse?" I asked.
"If you refuse I'll bury you to your neck in paperwork!" Soifon shouted.
"Fine," I said, "I'll see you at the Eastern gate when you need me."
"Then let's go," Captain Aizen said.
"We're going now?" I asked.
"I've been here a couple of hours your captain already filled out the proper paperwork, if you showed up and refused it was a simple matter of tearing the sheets up," he said.
"I see," I said, "Then I suppose we should head off,"
Captain Aizen nodded and walked passed me as he put a hand on my shoulder to pass by me. As we left my division's territory Ion was standing around, "Oh, Asch," he seemed surprised to see me, "I didn't know we were here to get you."
"We?" I looked at Aizen.
"I needed a member of 4th Division to come along and when I mentioned to Captain Unohana that I was aiming to get your cooperation she suggested that Ion come along since he knows you two quite well," Captain Aizen said.
"So which way?" Ion asked Captain Aizen.
"Just follow me," he said.
East Rukongai 66
We spent most of the time in the sector wandering around aimlessly, following Aizen blindly, never stopping and never talking to anybody, just walking.
Why are Ion and me even here? I asked myself, all we've been doing is walking around for no reason I can fathom.
The three of us continued to walk until we came to a small clearing in the middle of the forest, "Perfect we can set up camp here," Captain Aizen said.
"So that's it our investigation is over for the day?" I snapped
"Yes," Captain Aizen stated.
"So then what was the purpose of Ion and me being here?" I wanted to know.
"Patience," Captain Aizen said to me, "all will be revealed in due time."
Ion and I set up camp while Captain Aizen "surveyed the area for hostiles". After a few minutes after camp was fully set up Captain Aizen left the area saying that there was "something he saw that caught his eye back in town that he wanted to check out". He was acting really shady and he didn't give much briefing about why he needed us.
"Well this is nice," Ion said out of the blue, "I haven't been on a mission with captain Aizen since I was his 9th Seat."
"You were his 9th seat?" I asked.
"Yeah, you didn't think I started out as the 4th seat of 4th Division did you? I moved through ranks twice in my time in the Gotei 13. My first position was as the 18th seat of 9th Division under Captain Tosen. I got my promotion when the squad was being given an inspection by Captain Aizen, he said he saw my potentional with Kido and took me under his wing. While I was in 5th Division my Kido flourished and I learned my Shikai. However, I learned that out of all Kido out there that my true calling was in healing and so I opted to join 4th Division. Captain Unohana said that she thought my healing skills were some of the best she'd seen. Iemura and Kotetsu are still much more skilled than I am, of course I think my constant need to keep myself healthy while at the same time balancing my workload and duties plays into a factor for that," Ion rubbed the back of his head at his last statement.
"So you think you know what Captain Aizen needs us for?" I asked Ion
"I really couldn't say, possibly a hollow attack that he's investigating. I've read reports that Captain Aizen takes personal interest into odd hollow attacks," he responded.
"If that is the case, then why are we walking so much?" I asked him.
Ion shrugged, "Couldn't say maybe that's how he carries out his investigations is by scouring the area in silence. The last time I was on a mission with him the enemy had already appeared so I don't know if this is what he does when there's nothing to fight." I accepted Ion's statement, but I still had my suspicions.
Ion's pov
As Asch and I waited at the camp in the moonlight we suddenly felt several hollow spiritual pressures and cries and roars from all directions.
"Damn it we're surrounded!" Asch shouted as numerous pairs of eyes stared at us from within the trees and shadows. There had to be about 20, no 30 hollows, "How convenient for Captain Aizen to leave the area just as a bunch of hollows were about to attack us." Based on the way Asch said it, it almost seemed like he suspected that Captain Aizen set us up.
"I got your back Asch," I said and quickly drew my Wakizashi. I pointed it in front of me with both hands and turned it clockwise 90 degrees, "Predict! Kisekimaru!" There was a flash of white light around me as 7 stones rose up from the ground and floated around me. They were shaped like eyes and each one had a different colored gem in the center. Also in place of my Wakizashi I was now holding a staff similar to the one I had when I was Fon Master. The stones revolved around me, protecting me from outside attacks. Asch had already released his Zanpakuto, Chikaminari. Standing close to each other, almost back to back we prepared to fight against the hollows that came our way. My Zanpakuto was a defensive type so Asch had to kill most of the hollows. Several hollows charged forward and Asch cut them down while they were leaping at him in mid strike. As Asch cut down one particular hollow another one came at him from behind. "Some no Ishi," I said (The First stone), "Baria!" (Barrier) A blue shield enveloped Asch momentarily and stopped the hollow from charging at him. The particular hollow looked like a Saber Tooth Tiger. "Hado 31 Shakkaho!" I shouted and blasted it in half. I was unprepared when a hollow attacked me from behind but Asch fired a lightning bolt from one of the pauldrons on his shoulder. As we continued to slay more and more hollows suddenly some of them began to retreat.
"Something's off, some of the smaller ones are retreating," Asch said. No sooner did he say that did more remaining hollows turn docile as they hung near the northern end of our encampment as a large, powerful hollow began to walk forward. Based on its spiritual pressure it had to be an Adjuchas. It had a pink body and resembled that of one of Auldrant's Ligers. It's mane was fluffy like Cotton Candy and it had 7, large, pink tails. Its growl as it stood there sounded incredibly feminine. It gave meaningful looks to its allies as the other hollows began to retreat. Then when things were clear except for it and Asch and me it stretched backwards like a house cat before lurching forward and letting out a proud roar. It then began stomping forward. Asch stood in front of me knees bent, waiting for the battle to start. When the creature finally sprinted forward so did Asch his sword positioned down and away on his left side and when he got close to the creature he swung upwards from beneath it, but the Adjuchas dodged Asch's strike by leaping of him and charged straight towards me.
"Muttsu no Ishi!" I shouted, "Kiri!" (The Sixth Stone: Fog). Multicolored fog began spraying onto the battlefield. With the way I had casted the fog, if those that Kesekimaru depicted as an enemy stayed in a prolonged exposure to it their muscles would start to become weakened, crippling them. Of course as of right now the only useful thing the fog would be good for would be to get away from the incoming charge. I used Shunpo to get near Asch. The Adjuchas realized I wasn't where it had thought I was and turned around before charging after us. Asch charged forward again and attempted to hack it sideways across the face, but as he moved forward the creature ran around him and came straight after me again. In all my studies on hollow behavior, never once had I seen record of something like this. Most hollows when faced with multiple enemies would always neutralize threats first before going after the easy prey. In this case that would be Asch and me respectively since Asch is the one currently getting in the hollow's face. But this hollow isn't doing that, it's dodging Asch and coming straight after me.
As the hollow bounded towards me Asch leapt on top of it and planted his sword into its back causing it to let out a loud pained howl. "Hey don't you turn your back on me!" he shouted, "I'm your opponent!"
Suddenly I could see energy building up in the hollow's tails, "Asch watch out!" I shouted. Asch removed his sword turned his head and blocked the attack as best he could. He suffered minimal to little damage, but the force wave sent him flying past me into the forest behind my position, "Asch!" I shouted as I turned my head only for one of the Adjuchas' claws to pin me down. I stared up at the creature's white mask. It was panting as it looked down upon me.
The Adjuchas spoke to me, "Finally I've caught you, Fon Master Ion."
How does Adjuchas know me by that title, I wondered to myself.
The creature pressed its claws further in causing me to wince, "It's been a long time. A long long time. Don't you know who I am?"
The creature I slowly started to recognize her voice, but perhaps it was the voice combined with her Liger like appearance that made me recognize her, "A-Arietta, Arietta…the wild"
It seemed I was right because the Adjuchas said, "You recognize me!" she grew angry as she said, "I'm so relieved!" she pushed me farther into the ground causing me to hack and gasp for breath, "Ever since I died and became a hollow all I've done is search for you Fon Master Ion, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Your betrayal to me, how you never looked at me the same when Anise became your guardian. And she led you to your death! I even apologized to you and you still refused to take me back! I wanted to see you again and may you pay for what you did to me! It's your fault I'm like this," she then shrieked, "Your fault!"
Suddenly Arietta's foot came clean off as if cut with a sword, she staggered backwards and regenerated. However, it wasn't Asch who had come to my rescue.
"Sorry I'm late," Luke said, "I got here as fast as I could when Asch told me you two were having trouble."
"You! Murder! Luke Fon Fabre! Mommy killer!" Arietta shouted at Luke.
Luke looked at me, "Ion how does that thing know my name? And why did it call me a murder and a mother killer?"
"Because you know her," I pointed at Arietta, "That creature is Arietta the wild, or rather what she has become."
Luke became shocked. His eyes shrunk to the size of pinheads. Arietta charged forward. Luke blocked with Nenshou Shikon, "Murder! Luke Fon Fabre you murderer! Protector of a traitor! Stop protecting Fon Master Ion! I should be the one…the ONLY one allowed to protect him!" Arietta shrieked.
"Arietta you have to listen to me!" Luke shouted.
Arietta continued to shriek, "No I'm done listening! I care not of the words of the murder of my mommy!"
"Arietta, please!" I begged.
"Fon Master Ion," she seemed calm for a bit giving Luke an opening to knock her away. Arietta made to stand up, but she seemed to have trouble standing.
"The fog is beginning to take effect. Luke now's your chance!" I told him.
Luke walked towards Arietta, but not in a manner that indicated he was going to deliver the finishing blow. I stayed far back enough just enough to hear what he was saying to her.
"Arietta you have to let it go. You have to stop chasing after Fon Master Ion," he told her.
Luke don't, I said knowing what he was about to tell her.
Arietta growled, "Never, I will never stop…I…I must protect…I must protect Fon Master Ion."
"The Fon Master Ion you knew isn't here!" Luke shouted.
Luke stop, don't do this, I screamed internally.
"Liar!" Arietta hollered, "You're lying! Luke Fon Fabre you liar!"
"I'm not lying," Luke said calmly, "the Original Fon Master Ion, the one you knew is long since gone. You were switched because Fon Master Ion was replaced with a replica of himself."
Arietta made a noise in her throat, if her face was still the same, human, she would shown signs of a broken heart, "N-no! That's not true!" she screamed, "That's not TRUUUUUUUE!"
"I'm sorry Arietta!" Luke apologized.
"No, you're lying, you have to be," Arietta was in a state of complete hysteria, "The real Fon Master Ion is right over there," she indicated me, "He's…he's…"
"It's the truth Arietta," I found myself saying. As much as I didn't like the fact that she knew the truth it seemed that she would only listen if I said it.
Arietta continued to deny the truth, "No, you're lying too! Betraying me! Betraying me for that wretch Anise! Isn't that it!"
"Arietta, you have to believe us, we've no reason to lie to you. I'm a replica!" I said.
"No, it's not true! You're lying! you have to be lying! I can't...this is a trick!" she shouted. She backed away two paces and then turn and ran away.
"Ah, Arietta wait!" I called after her arm outstretched.
Luke put a hand on my shoulder, "Let her go," he said.
"But," I started to protest.
"This is something she'll have to come to accept on her own. She may, given time," he told me.
At that point Asch finally came out of the bushes, "Bout you showed up dreck. What took you so long?"
"Well sorry, I wasn't exactly awake when you contacted me," Luke told him.
"What happened to the Adjuchas?" Asch asked.
"It ran away," Luke said. Asch grabbed Luke by his lapels.
"You baka, you let it get away! How incompetent are you?" Asch shouted.
"Asch stop," I said, "You don't understand. That wasn't a normal Adjuchas."
Asch put Luke down, "Enlighten me."
"That Adjuchas, was Arietta…the wild." Asch let out a momentary gasp grit his teeth and decked Luke in the face, "Asch!" I scolded.
"What the hell was that for?" Luke bemoaned, getting up.
"You told her didn't you, otherwise she wouldn't go running if Ion was right here," Asch said to Luke.
"She needed to know," Luke said, "It wasn't fair for her to be kept in the dark like that. Not even after death."
"That's not for you to decide Dreck!" Asch shouted.
Luke made a grandstanding speech, "So you would rather have her continue to exist with a lie in her head then to know the truth after passing her. Is that what you're telling me, I don't understand why you guys seem so bent up about it? Knowing the truth hurts, I know since you told me I was a replica and it tore me apart, but I got my act together and pulled through in the end, don't you think it's only fair if you give her that chance?"
"It's not the same Dreck. Arietta relied on Ion like someone with co-dependency would without actually having it. You stuck out on your own! The original Fon Master Ion was the center of Arietta's world. Without him, we didn't know what she would do. Turn against us? Commit suicide? Cause senseless mayhem? Arietta was frail unlike you!" Asch argued.
"Wasn't I the same way? When it came down to when it would be you or me that should've died I was the one who chose the fate saying you should be the one to live on and me not existing in the first place. Although the scenario here may be different in a sense the bases of it are still intact. What would have happened to me if I was still ignorant to the truth? I would probably be stuck in that mansion until I turned to dust or used by Van until that happened," Luke shot back.
"Damn it Dreck, you learning the truth was my call to make because I'm the one you have to thank for your existence. You learning the truth about yourself was necessary. If anyone should've told Arietta the truth it should've been someone closer to her, not her former enemy!" Asch shouted at Luke.
"Who then? Largo didn't seem to keen on the idea! Dist is a creep! Sync is one of the Fon Master's replicas himself! And Lagretta followed Van's orders to a fault! And for some reason you seem to have a problem with it!" Luke pointed out.
"The point is moot anyway. The real question is what good is it to have given her that knowledge now anyway. She's our enemy dreck. Why didn't you just dispatch her?" Asch asked Luke.
"Because she had the right to know regardless. Perhaps now she'll stop chasing after Ion here," Luke stated.
"I've read that some hollows don't devour human souls, but rather eat each other in order to survive. Perhaps, once Arietta comes to accept the truth she will become one of those types of hollows," I informed.
"And what if you're wrong and she comes back stronger than ever seeking revenge or totally flipping out devoid of sanity?" Asch asked.
"We'll just cross that bridge when we come to it," Luke declared.
At that point Captain Aizen returned, "Is everyone all right?" Aizen asked and then noticed Luke, "Oh Luke, how nice to see you. What brings you all the way out here?"
"Asch and Ion were attacked by a large group of hollows, Asch contacted me and asked for my assistance," Luke explained.
At that point Asch verbally attacked Captain Aizen, "Yeah it was real convenient for all those hollows to show up after you left the campsite while all day you made Ion and me walk all day long without any rest."
"It's just a coincidence Asch there's no reason to get so upset," Captain Aizen told him straight out.
"Coincidence right…" Asch didn't seem convinced, but it didn't seem like he wanted to argue the point.
"I should be heading back to 10th Division," Luke said, "I'm not exactly assigned to this mission."
"No by all means stay if you'd like," Captain Aizen said to him, "We're all going to head back tomorrow morning anyway."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"My investigation has turned something up that I cannot allow other members of the Gotei 13 to be involved with. I apologize for inconveniencing you all," Captain Aizen said.
"I see," I said.
"Well then let's pack it in then I'm wiped," Luke yawned and stretched
Hueco Mundo
Arietta's pov
I finally made it back to Hueco Mundo, but now I had no family to greet me here. Asch and Fon Master Ion killed all my brothers and sisters.
"The Fon Master Ion you knew no longer exists!"
No, I won't accept that, I won't! I won't accept that Fon Master Ion is dead and that that one is just a replica. It can't be the truth. It can't be….
Feeling exhausted, I collapsed in a heap on the sand.
3rd Person pov
As Arietta lay there like a lump another Adjuchas approached her from the South. He looked much like a large cat, white in color, with black paws. He was hungry and as he prowled along the sands of Hueco Mundo he spotted Arietta's body. Not one to eat a dead hollow, since they yielded no bonus, he sniffed her and pawed at her back to see if she was alive, and was surprised to find that she was female. He pawed at her a couple of times to see if she was dead and this caused Arietta to stir.
"Uh," she moaned. Opening her eyes she saw the Adjuchas before her and leapt back, taking a defensive stance. At doing so she sunk down on her back right foot in pain. Ion's fog was really starting to take its toll on her body.
"You're injured," the Adjuchas spoke to Arietta, "Good that'll make killing you so much easier."
Arietta just growled and did her best to stand her ground.
"So you're still willing to fight even in that condition?" The adjuchas asked, "I respect your resolve. Doesn't change anything though," he scraped his paw into the ground.
"I'm not going to just sit around and let you take me down, i fought too many battles to let you kill me like this," Arietta spoke outright. She refused to die, not until she knew the truth she was currently choosing to deny.
The adjuchas snickered, "What's the matter afraid to die?" he pounced at Arietta, but she managed to dodge out of the way.
"I would be ignorant if I said I am," Arietta said in her usual gloomy voice.
"The tone of your voice suggests otherwise," the Adjuchas said, "There's almost no confidence behind your statements."
"I may be at my wits end, but I still won't let you kill me like this!" she declared.
"You got a nice attitude, based on your reiatsu I'd say you're an Adjuchas as well, very impressive, you must have an incredibly strong will, despite your frail manner of speaking," the adjuchas said to Arietta.
"Why are you complimenting me when you are trying to kill me?" she asked the strange Adjuchas.
"Don't know," he replied, "You seem interesting, that's all."
Arietta stared at him, but continued to hold her ground and defenses.
"I just disbanded from a small group I used to hunt with. They were all weak. They didn't want to continue hunting because their power wouldn't grow. Since becoming an Adjuchas I have devoured 300 hollows with my former followers and about 20 since disbanding from them. However, in all my hunting most enemies gave up the chase after they reached a certain state, but you're still willing to fight with that battered up body of yours. You're the first Adjuchas I've ever come across." The Adjuchas resumed a sitting position, "Perhaps it'd be more benificial to have you around then to kill you." He looked around as his tail constantly flicked around his body, "If we joined forces there would hardly be a hollow underneath this sky that could hold a candle to us," The Adjuchas looked at Arietta "What do you say?"
Arietta seemed to calm herself down and also assumed the same sitting position, "You want to join forces?" she asked her seven tails curling up and down behind her.
"Yes," the Adjuchas responded.
Arietta growled, "Why do I feel like you would kill me when you get the chance?"
The Adjuchas was quick to respond, "Because it's hollow instinct not to trust one another, but I don't betray those that I respect."
Arietta lay down on all fours and put her head on her front paws, "Alright, I'll take your word for it, but let me rest to get my strength back," she paused and then said, "If you did fight me you definetly would have won."
"I know," the Adjuchas told her, confident in his own power, "If you don't mind me asking, where'd you get all those wounds and injuries?"
Arietta hesitated momentarily, "I…fought a couple of shinigami, they were too tough to beat so it was either to run and live another day, or die at their hands and never move forward again."
"Lose the battle, but not the war smart move" The Adjuchas said as he settled down next to her. He looked at her wounds carefully, "Hmm, you must have some hidden resolve or something, wounds of that degree would leave even me at a Shinigami's mercy"
"Just some truth to a long mystery that puzzles me, but I need to get stronger if I want to find that truth," Arietta told her new friend. Of course the truth was right in front of her, she just chose not to believe it.
"Well you'll definitely get stronger if you stick with me." The Adjuchas looked up at the sky "Who knows, one day we might evolve."
"If so then at least that would mean that we don't have to continue eating hollows to stay where we are," Arietta said.
"Yeah, at least," the Adjuchas said, "I'll keep watch. You just rest and get your strength back. We'll go out hunting when you're refreshed."
"Thank you," Arietta told him, "By the way, what's your name?" she asked.
The Adjuchas turned in her direction, "Grimmjow," he said, "Yours?"
"I'm Arietta," she said.
"Arietta huh? Nice to meet you," Grimmjow said to her. Arietta didn't respond, she was already asleep. Grimmjow just smirked and stood watch over her. He would protect his newfound friend.
(A/N: And so Arietta the Wild makes her Noble Flames debut and meets up with the soon to be sixth Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjacques. How will this affect the plotline? And will any of the other six god generals appear in the story? To find the answers to these questions and more you'll have to wait for the next chapter of Noble Flames! Plz Review, and if you haven't don't so already subscribe and fave).