Disclaimer – I do not own DGM or Bleach

Chapter Thirty-Six – The Grave and Reconciliation

It didn't take the two white-haired youths long to make it out of the headquarters of the European branch of the Black Order and once they had successfully traveled a safe distance away Hitsugaya stopped abruptly. So abruptly that Allen actually almost walked right over the smaller boy, managing to stop but just barely.

"A little warning next time…" Allen said after he regained his composure.

"Sorry," Hitsugaya said, realizing that he probably should have enlightened Allen on the details of the plan but that hadn't really occurred to him at the time. And honestly even if it had occurred to him he couldn't really do it inside the Order headquarters for fear that someone might overhear.

And then decide to follow.

"This destination isn't really within walking distance so we're going to take a shortcut," the white-haired Shinigami went on to say. Without looking back at Allen, Hitsugaya pulled out his sword and once again used his powers to summon the Ark. This time around he was merely using it as a form of transportation, which he could do without actually moving the entire thing.

It was just a matter of knowing how.

And he was an expert.

That statement from Hitsugaya only served to further confuse him but Allen just accepted it with a nod of his head. "Okay…I guess I'll find out what's going on when we get there," he said, more or less stating an observation that he had made rather than asking a question.

Which was a good thing because he didn't get a response from Hitsugaya.

Instead the white-haired Shinigami just led the way into the Ark once he had summoned the doorway and then waited for Allen to join him before making the connection between the Ark and the place where he wanted to go. It was a place that he had never actually visited in life, his brother had brought him to this place after death.

Upon reaching their destination Hitsugaya stepped out of the Ark, expecting that Allen would be right behind him, and once outside he started walking up a hill toward a lonely weeping willow tree. It didn't take too long to climb the hill and once they reached the top Hitsugaya and Allen came upon a lonely tombstone that was lacking a name.

The only thing to mark whom it belonged to were the music notes that were engraved on it.

"Wait is this…?" Allen gazed at Hitsugaya as they reached the tombstone and he made the connection. His silver eyes focused on the smaller boy as he asked this question and despite everything that he had endured because of Hitsugaya he actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

Hitsugaya nodded.

"Mana is responsible for this, he's the only one that cared enough," Hitsugaya said quietly, kneeling down so that he could trace the music notes that were engraved on the smooth surface. "Listen Allen, I'm sorry for what I did, it wasn't fair to you but I was desperate." His tone was quiet as he said this but the words were sincere. "It's fixed now though, I undid everything…and there was an unexpected side effect from the Ark."

Allen stared at Hitsugaya as the former Noah told him that he had fixed everything and then added something about an unforeseen side effect.

"What side effect?" Allen asked, wondering as he did so if he really wanted to know.

"…you're alive again," Hitsugaya said after a moment, turning so that he could look at Allen and for once not angered by the fact that he had to look up. Though that was mainly because he was still kneeling so of course the other white-haired youth was going to be taller.

"What? Really?" Allen asked immediately, finding that one hard to believe.

Hitsugaya nodded. "I don't know how it happened but it did. So now you can go on with your fight and you won't have to hide anything from your friends anymore." There was a slightly pained note to his voice as he said this but that was mainly because he was a little bit envious of the fact that Allen had friends.

He'd only ever had Mana and even that had been taken from him.

"Aren't you going to stay and fight?" Allen asked, keeping his gaze focused on Hitsugaya as he asked that question and really wanting to know the answer. Because everything that he had learned aside the Shinigami was helpful and honestly not that bad of a guy even if he was a hothead.

And a Noah.

"I will keep fighting but on my own," Hitsugaya said quietly. "I'm not giving up the fight but I'm not going to risk dragging anyone else down with me and after everything that happened in the Ark the Clan of Noah is going to be out for blood. Again. I don't want any of you to get dragged into that."

"What if we don't care?" Allen asked, a fierce look in his silver eyes.

"I still do," Hitsugaya said quietly. "Listen, I just wanted you to know that things have changed before I leave, that's why I brought you here. And…hopefully you don't hate me though I understand if you do."

"I don't hate you," Allen said with a shake of his head. "I don't like what you did but I don't hate you and you helped us too much for me to hold a grudge. Everyone would be dead without your help and I'll always be grateful for that."

Hitsugaya was more relieved by those words than he would ever admit to, the white-haired prodigy getting to his feet and turning away from his own grave.

"Don't tell anyone I said this but…this actually wasn't so bad," Hitsugaya said, smirking a little bit at the look that his words caused to appear on Allen's face. "Take care of yourself…wait until you're old and decrepit to die again."

Allen chuckled at that and then reached out, holding his hand out to Hitsugaya. "Take care and…don't do anything stupid."

This gained another smirk from Hitsugaya as he reached out to grasp the hand that was being offered to him, shaking it and glancing up at Allen. "I'll try to remember that." Having said that he used his powers to summon to summon another gate, this one leading back to the Order. "Oh…one thing I did leave…you'll be able to control the Ark. Use it wisely."

"I will," Allen said before stepping through the door and heading back to the Order.

Back to his friends…to his family…and with a new lease on life.

A/N – And that's the end. Wow that was quite a trip. Hope that you guys enjoyed the ride, please leave a final review and share your thoughts. Thanks for reading!