(A/N: Moving right along here. I seem to be really giddy up on this series normally 3 or 4 is my limit, but no I am really cruising with this fic. Anyway please enjoy the new chapter)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Tales of the Abyss
2 weeks after Aizen's Rebellion
Luke's pov
13th Division grounds
I walked into my captain's office with large stack of paperwork. I had a lot that I had to take care of with regards to everything that went on during all that craziness a few weeks ago. I also had something important I wanted to write up and give to my captain.
"Captain Ukitake," I said approaching his desk, "paperwork."
"Yes, thank you Luke, let's see here…reports, reports, new additions memo, reports, reports…hmm what's this an application for Captaincy?" he asked.
"Well yeah," I rubbed the back of my neck, "After all I have mastered Bankai and so…"
"Luke," my captain's voice was serious, so was his face.
"What? Am I not allowed to?" I asked.
"No it's not that," he said rising to his feet, "could you come with me please? There's something I've been putting off for a long time now."
"Uh sure," I said. I followed Captain Ukitake as we neared a particular hallway I could hear Sentaro and Kiyone's voices. They sounded like they were in some form of competition. Ukitake opened the door to where the voices were coming from. Sentaro and Kiyone were playing some form of racing game. I watched as Sentaro crossed the finish line before Kiyone did.
"Whoo hoo!" he shouted standing up. "I win." He started gloating and doing a victory dance.
"Grrr best two out of three!" Kiyone growled.
"Sentaro, Kiyone," Ukitake's tone was still serious.
Both turned to face us and stood at attention, with a salute, "Yes sir!"
"I need you both to follow us, there's something I need to discuss with you all," Ukitake said.
"Sir yes sir!" Kiyone and Sentaro declared together in unison.
"Good then follow me," we all followed Captain Ukitake outside to the lake on Division grounds.
"What's this all about Captain?" I asked.
"Kiyone, Sentaro, I have urgent news for you both," he said, "Luke here," he said putting a hand on my shoulder "has just applied for captaincy. Should he succeed, that means that this squad's vice captain position would be open again."
"C-captain what are you saying?" Sentaro asked.
"One of you, if Luke becomes a captain, will have to take Luke's place as my vice-captain. Well Luke who should it be?" he asked.
I almost didn't hear what he said. I pointed to myself, "Wait a minute, me? You want me to decide?"
"It's only fair, it's your position that's going to be vacant you should be the one to decide who is your successor. So go ahead and make a decision Luke, whomever you choose I know both these two will respect your decision."
"Absolutely," Sentaro and Kiyone said in unison, "Whichever of us you decide we will respect your decision with the utmost humility."
"Of course I know you'll pick the better man," Sentaro said wiping his finger underneath his nose.
"You mean the better woman," Kiyone growled with a clenched fist.
"Snot-breath!"
"Big nose!"
"Dumb Blonde!"
"Beard boy!"
"Mop top!"
"Towel head!"
"Both of you stop that this instant!" I said sharply. They stood at attention, "Thanks it was getting hard to hear myself think." I put my finger and thumb to my chin. All right then let's see here I have to pick one of them to take my place eh? Well Sentaro's always bristling with energy, very vocal and never questions my authority or Ukitake's. He's always ready to be given an order on a dime and does it immediately. Kiyone's always willing to do what's best for the squad. She's always asking how she can help out and she's always willing to get things for me the moment I need it. I dunno how I can pick between the two of them. Although…
Flashback
"Why are you two so competitive anyway?" I asked.
"Well before you showed up we wanted to be recognized as the superior between each other for vice-captainship." Kiyone answered.
And I may be disturbed, but won't you concede, even heroes have the right to dream
"What about now?" I asked.
"I…well, I know I want to be recognized by you or Captain Ukitake, but Sentaro always has to undermine my hard work," she said solemnly.
"You work quite well Kiyone, I mean I know the work you two put forth, you're both important to the sustenance of the squad." I told her.
"I…so does that mean you recognize me as a subordinate worthy of a superior of your caliber?" Kiyone wanted to know
"What do you mean by that?" I asked curiously
"I…I read your profile when you were being transferred over, your psychological profile made you seem like some form of noble hero."
"Hero?" I let the thought sink in for a minute, "Yeah I could see that."
"So I wanted Luke to recognize me as a subordinate worthy of his talents,"
"Yeah but even heroes are still human Kiyone," I said to her.
"Luke?"
"And even heroes make mistakes. No one's perfect. Even I have some things I've done that I regret, but I'm not some hero, I'm just a regular guy. If my beliefs and deeds make me out to be a hero then so be it," I stated.
"Luke"
End Flashback
Luke's pov
Yeah I remember that day. I know who's the better person for the job.
"Ah, I see that smile, have you come to a decision?" Captain Ukitake asked me with a cheerful tone.
"Yes, yes I have," I said.
"Well who have you selected?" Ukitake asked.
"Well about that, it wouldn't be right of me to openly state who I've selected if I don't make the cut right?" I asked.
"That's very thoughtful of you Luke, you're right I suppose that would be a little immoral to spark false hope. I'd like you to fill out the paperwork though. On the day of your inauguration you can give your selected officer your badge."
"Understood," I said.
1 month later
3rd Person pov
1st Division barracks
Captain's meeting
"Thank you all for coming," Yamamoto said as the remaining 9 captains of the Gotei 13 were gathered together. "As you know Aizen's rebellion has left us in quite a mess. Not only have 3 of our own captains defected to the side of the hollows, but Captain Kurotsuchi fell during the Ryoka Invasion. I have been asked to keep the specifics of his demise confidential. Nevertheless all hope is not lost as I have managed to find vacancies for three of the four slots. All three individuals passed the captain's exam with flying colors. I would like to thank Captains Ukitake, Hitsugaya, Kuchiki, and Kyoraku for their assistance in the matter. Even before their inauguration all three individuals proved themselves during Azien's Rebellion. I am sure they need no introduction once they enter the room. As I'm sure you can hear me out in the hall you may all enter!" Yamamoto called to three new captains waiting behind the doors. In walked, from left to right, Asch, Luke and Nebilim, they sported the haori's of the 9th, 5th and 12th Division respectively. "Captain Fon Fabre Asch of the 9th Division, Captain Fon Fabre Luke of the 5th Division and Captain Nebilim Gelda of the 12th Division we welcome you to the ranks of the Gotei 13."
"It is an honor Head Captain," Nebilim got down on her knee.
"An honor," Luke followed after her.
"An honor," Asch did the same as the two before him.
"You all understand that being a captain of the Gotei 13 is a heavy responsibility. It is a privilege, not a right, to be a captain of a division. Do you all understand the weight that you all hold on your shoulders?"
"Yes head captain," All three answered in unison.
"Very well, then let the inauguration ceremony begin!"
After the ceremony
Luke's pov
"See you passed the Captain's exam," Ukitake told Luke.
"Yeah what do you know I did," I laughed, "but man it was hard."
Ukitake chuckled, "And yet you made it seem so easy when I observed you." I laughed again. "Anyway do you have what I asked you to bring with you?" Ukitake asked.
"I sure do," I said reaching into my pocket. I took out a rolled up piece of paper and my soon to be old lieutenant's armband, "just like you asked."
"Yes I see that," Ukitake smiled, "Kiyone, Sentaro," Ukitake called. Both individuals appeared on the spot.
"Yes Captain Ukitake what is it you need?" they asked.
"The time has come," Ukitake said taking the paper from me. "Luke, if you would."
"Right," I said and cleared my throat. "As you know I made this decision a long time ago, the proof is in the letter Captain Ukitake is holding. And so Sentaro…Kiyone thanks for being my subordinates all this time. Continue to support Captain Ukitake without me," I said.
"Fon Fabre-taicho," Both of them overdid the being moved to tears bit.
"Now then my decision," I said and paused as I held my armband. "Sentaro," I said. He beamed up, "Move out of the way. Kiyone," I said preparing to throw my armband, "Catch." I threw the armband at her. It went sailing through the air and she caught her.
Her expression was not what I expected. She looked so confused, "M-me?" she asked pointing at herself.
"Of course," I told her smiling, "You earned it." Kiyone looked at the armband holding it with both hands. Her hands shook. "Well say something."
She ran towards me, "Fon Fabre-taicho!" she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy," she said.
"Like I said," I told her, "you earned it."
"You bet I did," she said letting go of me and strapping on the armband.
"Well," I said, "I'd best be getting to my new post," I said.
"You should probably pay a visit to 4th Division and see how Momo's doing," Ukitake suggested.
"Oh you're right that probably would be a good idea," I realized, "Well anyway see you later guys." I used Shunpo and left.
4th Division
I made my way down the hall only to eventually find Captain Hitsugaya walking alongside Captain Unohana.
"Oh did you two come here together?" I asked.
Unohana nodded, "Are you here to see how your lieutenant's doing?" she asked.
"Hold up you're not going to tax her with work while she's still in recovery are you?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Of course not," I said, "She's been through a lot the last thing she needs is paper work on her plate."
"Good," Hitsugaya answered, "Let's go see how she's doing shall we?" the two of us followed Unohana to Momo's recovery room.
"I guess I forgot to mention that she still hasn't fully recovered yet," Unohana said as I saw Momo hooked up to a machine, "However she's getting better, with another week of rest she should be back on her feet. I expect her eyes to be open in a matter of days."
"I see," Hitsugaya said.
"I take it you're just going to leave as usual?" Unohana asked him.
"What do you mean as usual?" I asked.
"I have nothing to say to Momo until she's able to open her eyes and listen to me speak. I'm not like you Luke," he told me, and left.
"Do you have anything to say to her Fon-Fabre taicho?" Unohana asked me.
I nodded, "Yeah."
"I think she would like having a familiar presence by her bedside," Unohana said, "She sat down on the stool near the door on the inside of the room.
I walked over to Momo. The monitor she was hooked up to beeped at a consistent rate. I kneeled at the side of the bed and held her hand with both of mine. "Momo," I said, "I know you probably can't hear me right now, but I wanted to see how you were doing. You probably have had no idea what's going on since Aizen stabbed you. I'm so sorry for what happened. Captain Hitsugaya and I blame ourselves for letting that happen to you. When you open your eyes I want the first thing for you to know is that from now on I will be your captain. That's right, I'm the captain of your division Momo. That should make you happy. You always did admire me." I looked at her as she lay there motionless, barely breathing. I was starting to feel depressed. I knew she would eventually recover, but seeing her like this…it was just so sad. I let go of her hand and stood up and strode to the other side of the room, "Let me know when her condition improves." I said.
"Of course," Unohana agreed.
Leaving 4th Division I went to my new office to take care of the paperwork that had probably been piling up. A thought then struck me. Hey that's right, I'm a captain now…I can…I can go home soon, a smile beamed across my face. Tear just hold on a little bit longer ok. I'll be back soon. Images of Ion, Asch, and Nebilim flashed through my mind. And I'll be sure to try and take everyone with me so you can all see them again.
Hueco Mundo
3rd person pov
Grimmjow walked along the halls of Las Noches hands in his pockets. He had recently become an Arrancar and was proud to have become one. When he and Arietta arrived in Las Noches, after they joined Aizen, they had become separated from each other so that each could undergo Arrancar transformation. He wandered the halls looking for her, trying to find her. He stopped walking when he heard a small voice call out to him, "Grimmjow-sama?"
He turned around standing in front of him was a girl, about a foot shorter than he was, with pink hair Mask fragments resembling a white collar around her neck. She was also wearing a little white hat on her head. She was dressed in the traditional Arrancar white and she was holding a hollow plushy. She had a sword sheathed behind her back that was about half the size she was. She had a hollow hole in the center of her torso. It was the about the size of a golf ball. "Who are you kid?"
"Grimmjow-sama you do not recognize me?" the girl's eyes quivered with fear.
"I think the bigger question is how can you still recognize me," the blue haired arrancar said.
"It's your scent," the girl responded, "I told you before I have a very strong sense of smell."
"No way," he backed up a step, "It can't be. Arietta is that you?" he asked.
"You remembered," she said moved.
Grimmjow facepalmed and rubbed the area of his forehead above his left eye. Aww man there goes my fantasies. I can't believe she was really just a little kid all this time.
"Grimmjow-sama is something matter?" Arietta asked him.
"It's nothing," he said and turned to walk away. He was surprised when Arietta's small hand suddenly grabbed his. "What are you doing?"
"You said we would always be together Grimmjow-sama," Arietta said to him. "You promised me when we were traveling together and even when Lord Aizen separated us momentarily that we would always stay at each other's side. You promised me."
"Yeah but that was…I didn't know you were…" Grimmjow looked down to see that Arietta's eyes were starting to form tears, "No…no…don't…"
Arietta started to cry. Grimmjow facepalmed and felt like an ass for making his only friend cry. Sure she wasn't what he expected, but she was still his ally.
"All right all right enough with the tears!" he shouted. Arietta stopped and sniffed a bit. "Yeah I promised you," he said patting her head, "We'll always be together."
Arietta wrapped her arms around Grimmjow, "Can you make another promise to me Grimmjow-sama?" she asked speaking into his chest.
"What is it?" he asked not to sure if he wanted to keep yet another promise to Arietta.
"Do not betray me," she said.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Just promise me," she said.
"I just want to…"
"Promise me!" She shrieked tiling her head to look up at him as tears ran down her face.
"All right all right I promise," he said not liking. God I hate that face it's just too damn cute and annoying. He said looking away from Arietta.
Arietta hugged him tighter, "Thank you…Grimmjow-sama," she said.
Grimmjow put a hand on Arietta's head and caressed it gently, "It's all right he told her," man what am I supposed to do with a kid for an ally?
"Grimmjow-sama…Grimmjow-sama, it is you isn't it?"
Still clinging to Grimmjow's jacket Arietta peered around his body and looked at who was speaking. He was a tall Arrancar with mask fragments resembling that of what could only be described as a poorly mutated prawn attached to his cranium. Grimmjow glanced over his shoulder. "Who's he?" Arietta asked in a low volume to Grimmjow
"Another ally," he said and completely turned around. Arietta still clung to him. "Well, well long time no see Shawlong Kufang. I see Aizen made you one of his Arrancar as well."
"Yes, and not just me all of us whom you used to reign over are here as well," Shawlong answered.
"I see, so all you morons are here as well huh?" Grimmjow asked.
"Sir if I may be so bold, who is the little girl?" He indicated Arietta.
"This is our group's queen Arietta…" Shit I don't know her last name.
"Salvaje," Arietta said, "I'm Arietta Salvaje. Hello friend of Grimmjow-sama's."
"Is she worthy to be a queen…she seems kind of…" Shawlong had no idea what to make of Arietta.
"Appearance can be deceiving," Grimmjow said bluntly, "Anyway as your king I demand that you lead me to the others. I'm eager to catch up for lost time and they should all meet their queen as well. Speaking of which," Grimmjow pointed to the floor, "Kneel before your King and Queen right now!"
"Yes sir, absolutely sir," Shawlong got down on one knee.
"Now, swear your loyalty to us."
"I swear to serve Lord Grimmjow and Lady Arietta for as long as I may live," he looked up at Grimmjow, "Will that do?"
"I suppose," Grimmjow said, "Now come on, let's go see what Edarad and those other clowns have been up to."
"Right this way sire, follow me." Shawlong instructed. With that, Grimmjow and Arietta made their way towards the rest of Grimmjow's group.
Today my old pack, tomorrow Las Noches, and eventually the world, Grimmjow said to himself.
To be continued…
(A/N: Hooray for AriGrimm. So yeah Grimmjow had no idea that Arietta was just a little kid lol. Bet that screws up whatever perverted fantasies he may have been thinking about her before he found her. And also Luke, Asch and Nebilim have become captains and Luke has promoted Kiyone to vice captaincy. The Soul Society Arc has officially ended. We are now in the Luke Returns to Auldrant arc. Thank you all for reading up to this point. The purpose this fic was created in the first place is vastly approaching. See you all next time. Review and don't forget to subscribe and fave if you haven't yet).