Bleach: Grayscale

By: Terrence Noran

Chapter 1: The Jovial Flame

"Ohdearohdearohdear, I. AM. LATE!", a black-haired young man ran through the streets of the Seireitei in a seemingly hurried manner. To any normal bystander or a shinigami out on patrol, one would think he was just a low-ranking grunt if not for his striking amber eyes and a grey scarf covering his neck, letting the rest of it flow back. He seems to have no zanpakuto on him, which is rather baffling as any shinigami would have their weapon by their side. Although...it does raise some inquiries about the Captain-Commander's lieutenant, but they rather not ask.

As he rounded the corner, he spotted someone simply walking unattended. That someone was a tall and well-endowed pink-haired girl with a slender build. She was wearing prison clothing, which is what prisoners who would belong to the Nest of Maggots would normally wear, a white robe, a black sash, but also wears white tabi and a pair of waraji, which is an unusual attire for those over at that prison, where they would normally be barefoot. He called out to her, "Hey!"

She looked at the man, who stopped after calling out to her, and responded, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to...you know?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, I'm running a bit late. So, would you mind throwing me over at the assembly hall?"

She was taken aback by the request, only answering with a reasonable response. "Eh?"

"Well, not into the hall. Just the front. The doorway.", he clarified.

"B-but I'm not allowed to use it. They said it will violate probation", She explained.

"Eh, I'll take the blame. Besides, it ain't violating anything if there's no one who can see it. So..."

The pink-haired girl sighed in resignation, and briefly wondered if all of this will result in something better for the rest of them.

Meanwhile

"Is he here yet?!", a spiky, orange-haired teen shouted as he became increasingly impatient simply for waiting for that specific someone to arrive. The others in the room quietly shared his sentiment but chose not to voice it out. To be fair, they had been waiting for about thirty minutes...anyone would feel restless at that point.

"Now now young Ichigo, I am sure he would arrive.", the Captain-Commander reasoned. "After all, it has only been five days since the battle ended. We, too, have not all recovered from our injuries." He gestured to the multiple empty spots around the area. "Besides, it has been a while since we have last seen of him."

"Wait. What was th-" Ichigo was about to ask when a loud boom echoed just outside the building. Everyone was suddenly looking at the entrance, curious as to who made that sound. It couldn't one of those Quincy who's able to utilize explosions, she and every other remaining Quincy were forbidden to use their schrift. Unless...

"Sorry, everyone. Woke up late." The man entered the hall, earning an annoyed sigh from the Captain of the Second Division and several confused stares as this is his first official appearance to them. "Zakh Ryuzaki, I've come home from my excursion.", he said as he took a knee.

"At ease.", the Captain-Commander said. "How long has it been?"

Zahk stood up and said,"120, 140, give or take."

"And your mission?"

"Learned a lot...'bout myself and the world. You should really see it. It's huge."

"I have responsibilities now."

"You're no fun."

"Excuse me, Captain Commander. I don't mind all these catching up stuff but what's the purpose of him being here, and why is he this important to the meeting?", one captain asked.

"Ah, yes. He is here for two things. His plan for the Quincies and his promotion to captain."

Captain?! They all thought. He could be the replacement captain for Squad 13 since the late Ukitake sacrificed himself to save everyone. But that's preposterous. Excursion or not, a nobody shouldn't be a captain. Hell, he doesn't even have his zanpakuto with him. And if he does, has he achieved bankai?

"Oh right. It is not for Squad 13, but a new division. A 14th."

Ichigo was confused. "Wait, 14? I thought there's only 13."

"Yes, that is true. However, Old Man Yama planned to set up an unofficial division once he returned. Over time, maybe after another 100 years, it will become an official division. Since I was the last person who knows about it, I will hereby make it official.", he said. "Do not worry about the bankai. He already achieved it before going on the excursion. It is a terrifying power."

"I know, which is why I'm never gonna use it. At all. Plus, it's a pain in the ass to use the shikai.", Zakh stated.

"Come now, it is not that bad."

"I could read the thing to you, but I don't like it if she starts burning this place to ash."

"Fair enough. Now, friendliness aside, what do you plan to do with the Quincy?"

7th Division Barracks

"What do you plan to do?"

"Whatever the decision they'll make. Whether they kill us or keep us here forever."

"I am asking you, Bambietta Basterbine."

"Should I know? I'm fine with either choice. I'm done with everything."

The wolf captain sighed. His attempts to connect with the ex-Sternritter haven't been successful. The girl was ready to die when their king betrayed them, instead they were saved. At first, he thought it was loyalty. If he had the chance to give his life back then, he would have no regrets about it.

But it wasn't that. The people she thought to be her companions betrayed her and attempted to kill her, or she says. She has fallen into despair since then and became indifferent about what her future holds.

"Is this about your friends?"

She scoffed at his question. "Friends? Friends don't abandon you to fight a battle. Friends are supposed to help you when you're down. Friends...friends...FRIENDS DON'T TRY TO KILL YOU OUT OF SELF-INTEREST!" Her hand stretched out, and a nearby wall exploded. "Yes, it's about them. But also, no. He saved me from them."

"His sacrifice wasn't in vain."

"It was. You just didn't know about it."

"Wait, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, this is how I see it. The only way to stop all the fighting."

Murmurs of disagreement are growing louder, with even some captains advocating against the decision. There's no telling what this will do with their temporary alliance with the Arrancar. Would they even agree to such a boneheaded idea? Or would they retaliate?

"Still, integration. That is...to honestly put it, a bold choice. Would they even agree to it?"

"I'd expect a negative reaction too. But the Vizards were let back in, I don't see why we shouldn't do the same for them."

"And what if they do not agree?"

"If I may, Captain Commander.", one captain raised her hand.

"Anything to say, Captain-"

"Shaolin.", interjected Zakh.

"-Soi Fon?", the commander continued. "Are you of support to him? If I remember correctly, you two both served under Former Captain Shihoin and are, as reported by Ryuzaki prior to his excursion, in a relationship."

A slight twitch on her face, indicating that she didn't like that comment. But a slight, almost unnoticeable tinge of pink on her cheeks says otherwise. "We did, though we were only acquaintances. Whatever you heard from is merely his delusion that we had anything more." She glanced at Zakh with look that says, "Explain yourself later", with his slight nod as a response.

"As for his rather, baffling idea, I do not support it. I frankly do not like that they are here, and if the orders are given, I would gladly wipe them off from the entirety of Soul Society. But...he has a point. If our decision to not kill is imprison them forever, surely they will revolt against us and another war will happen again. But if they stay and join us, we can monitor them. Not only that, if we can secure their loyalty to us, we can let them fight among themselves should there be a rebellion."

The commander was surprised. He already knew the answer and his decision but he hadn't expected the one who would be fervently against this idea, agree to it. Perhaps, he was right about her. He even looked at the other captains, pondering their decision over hearing it.

"Alright now. Are there any other thoughts on this? Any dissenting points? If not, then I will cast my vote."

Hueco Mundo

"Calm down, Loly."

Menoly Mallia always wonders why the one beside her is her closest friend, even though she had thoughts about kicking her ass. Said friend is pacing back and forth, grumbling about Orihime again.

Ever since that girl saved their lives again, Loly has been wanting to apologize to her. Unfortunately, her attitude didn't help and wound up insulting her instead.

"AAHH FUCK!", Loly shouted, grabbing her hair. "Why is saying "Thanks" or "Sorry" so hard?!"

"Why are you being a tsundere about it? She's not your girlfriend."

"That's the point! And I'm not a tsundere!"

"Whatever."

A ringing sound was heard, and Menoly pulled out a badge with a symbol of "14", which the sound originated from. She looked at Loly, who held up her own badge. They both held it up, and a Senkaimon appeared in front of them.

"It's been 90 years."

"Let's have a reunion."

A/N: This fic is purely experimental. I know where this goes but I don't know if this goes well.

Expect shenanigans.